NEW YORK (BRAIN) — British folding bike maker Brompton and iconic U.K. music label and retailer Rough Trade have joined forces to open the Brompton Bike Café at Rough Trade NYC, a gathering place for cyclists in the trendy Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Brompton bicycles will not be sold there, but customers will be referred to local retailers in the city.
Located a block off the Kent Avenue cycle thoroughfare in Rough Trade's 15,000-square-foot Williamsburg store, the Brompton Bike Café evokes the look and feel of Brompton's London factory to the shop floor with tables created from glass-topped shipping crates stocked with handmade neon and brightly colored Brompton frame parts.
Other bike-themed décor includes exterior murals, a photographic history of the Brompton World Championships, and an original bike from the first 400 Bromptons made by inventor and founder Andrew Ritchie.
Brompton owners can stash their folded bikes in-store in lockable cubbies. Outside, a bike lock rail and wall-mounted electric bike pump are available for use by all cyclists, regardless of bike style. Coffee is supplied by Toby's Estate.
"Rough Trade is a legendary music retail brand, renowned for its independent ethos," said Katharine Horsman, Brompton's general manager for North America. "So we were very excited to collaborate with them, in their stunning NYC store, to create a new kind of gathering place for New York's cyclists — people who also know a thing or two about independence and doing things differently."
"The Brompton Café is an inspiring, playful and dynamic addition to the store," said Stephen Godfroy, Rough Trade's co-owner.
"Our customers are typically independently minded, whatever their age or taste in music. Consequently, having a Brompton element within a community hub environment that celebrates independent thinking and self-expression is an unpredictable yet natural fit. The fact that Brompton is another iconic British brand with a West London heritage makes this collaboration all the more special."
