SAN ANTONIO, TX (BRAIN) – Hank Estrada, owner of the Charles A. James Bicycle Shop, has moved his 92-year-old shop to a larger space in San Antonio, Texas.
Founded in 1920, the Charles A. James Bicycle Shop was originally one of 10 bicycle shops selling in downtown San Antonio. Almost a century later, James’s shop is the sole bicycle business remaining in the downtown area. Hank’s father, Henry Estrada, bought the shop from original owner in 1968 and retained the name out of respect for his mentor, Mr. James himself.
“The move is long overdue. We’ve just been waiting for the right location,” said Estrada. “We wanted to stay downtown, but we just outgrew the old place.”
Located in the Atlee B. Ayres Building at 114 Broadway, the new 2,300-square-foot store allows customers more walking room and Estrada more space to display inventory.
“Now customers can actually see what we have and what draws their eye. We won’t have to pull everything out of drawers anymore,” said Estrada. “Plus, the number of bike commuters that pass by is now triple what it was at our previous location.”
Besides the expanded retail area, however, not much else is likely to change. The shop will continue to sell its main brand, Fuji, along with SE Bike, GT and Schwinn, and provide repair service.
“We’ve kept our same philosophy since1920 and I’m not about to change it now,” said Estrada. “Basically, we take care of customers. It doesn’t matter where you bought your bike, we’ll repair it. We’ll always provide the same service to everybody and we’ll never turn anybody away.”
—Marisa Shimano
