MINNEAPOLIS, MN (BRAIN)—In partnership with Minneapolis shop One on One Bicycle Studio, Handsome Cycles is opening its first branded retail location. The shop, set to open in March, will also serve as Handsome’s headquarters.
Handsome has leased the space next to One on One and will knock down a section of wall between the storefronts to create a joint retail operation. Handsome’s space will house all apparel, including One on One’s house-branded clothing as well as offerings from Mission Workshop and Minneapolis’ Twin Six, with a focus on “clothes that work on and off the bike.”
Sales of Handsome’s steel urban bikes will be centered around a “bike bar” where customers are walked through a series of stations to select the components and accessories to make each bike unique. The shop will also sell all of Handsome’s stock completes.
“The majority of the focus, and what we’re excited to do, is the custom-build process—really putting together a streamlined process on that,” said Jesse Erickson, who founded Handsome with partner Ben Morrison in 2008. “What we’ll do is present the options to the customer as good, better and best. So then they can tailor it to fit their budget or their needs.”
Custom builds will take one to two weeks, said Erickson, and customers are welcome to come in and see their bike get built at the bar. Online ordering will also be available.
Going into 2013, Handsome is looking to build on its retail base of 52 dealers, especially in markets where the brand has no presence or sees itself as under-represented, such as Boston and other parts of the northeast.
“There are so many great cycling cities we’re not in yet,” said Erickson.
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Handsome Cycles’ Shop Bike
