CARMEL, IN (BRAIN) Feb 3, 13:42 MT —The Bike Line, a second-generation family-run retailer, will move from its current Carmel, Indiana, location this spring into the Carmel City Center residential, retail and entertainment development.
“Our current store, we kind of look like your average strip mall bike store. And this new location, because of its environment being mixed use and residential, I think it stands out a little bit more. We’ll certainly have a lot more walking traffic, not just bicycle and car traffic,” said Bill Revard, who co-owns The Bike Line with older brother Charlie and younger brother Jimmy. Their father opened their flagship Indianapolis location in 1979.
Bill sees the business mix at Carmel City Center as a great fit for a bicycle retailer. “We feel that the businesses there will be complementary. They’re all independent-style retail places, not necessarily national chains. There are restaurants that have good crossover potential. In this economy, people who are still going out to eat and enjoying nightlife still have some disposable income left to look at bicycles,” he said.
The brothers are targeting a late-April opening and plan to decorate the 3,300-square-foot space in a muted color palette of light and dark grays. “We’re trying to go neutral because the stars of the show are the bicycles,” Bill said.
The Bike Line will continue the heavy road focus it has at its current Carmel location. Trek is the shop’s primary bike line, though the brothers might add Italian brands such as Ciocc or De Rosa.
The shop will also continue with its popular Thursday-night ride followed by a potluck cookout, which typically sees a turnout of 20 to 25 riders this time of year and around 60 in the summer. Bill said they try to make the ride accessible to as many riders as possible.
“Shop rides tend to be really crazy, leg-breaking fast rides. Our rides, we have our fast moments, but it’s a slightly lower intensity. It’s not one of those rides where you have to be a Category 1 or 2 to show up,” he said.
