TRUCKEE, Calif. (BRAIN) — Start Haus, a Lake Tahoe-area ski retailer, has added a 1,000-square-foot Giant Partner Store to its Truckee, Calif., shop.
Owner Jim Schaffner only recently brought bikes into to his well-established ski business. Last year, Schaffner experimented by adding a few Giant cruisers to complement his stand-up paddleboard sales.
"The process of working with Giant was really unique, and expanding our bike section was a good opportunity to clean up a corner of our store," said Schaffner, who opened Start Haus in 2004. "It was kind of like having a bike shop in a can, the whole process was so great."
Giant's retail services team worked with Start Haus on the store design and merchandising to create a professional, inviting retail space complete with graphics and messaging featuring the Giant and Liv brands. Schaffner said that while his staff is good at the service and tech side of the business, he knew he needed help with how to make things look good.
"This business has some of the finest staff I have ever had the pleasure to work with; I am very pleased to have them join our Giant Retail Partner Store program," said Timothy Johnson, retail services executive at Giant. "Our retail solutions focused primarily on store design and operations to help them continue to share their love and passion for cycling for years to come."
Start Haus is the 28th Giant Partner Store. It employs about 10 people during the summer months when bike business is strongest.
A grand opening was held June 6 with group road and mountain rides, two trials stunt shows and a raffle. Start Haus is also sponsoring a trail-building event with the Truckee Trails Foundation on Saturday, June 13, to complete work on the Elizabethtown Trail on Martis Dam Road in the Lake Tahoe area.
