LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (BRAIN) — BRAIN's State of Retail panelists are selected to present a cross-section of retailers around the country. They generously volunteer their time to talk to us about a retail topic as we prepare each issue, 18 times a year. We choose new panelists each year.
The State of Retail column appears in each issue, and starting with the March 1, 2017, issue, we are presenting an abbreviated version of the column on the web, giving our readers a chance to share their own insights on the question in the comments section.
Here are our 2017 panel members:
Christopher Rubin, owner, Wingspan Cyclery
Moorpark, California
One store, 1,400 square feet
One full-time employee, four part-time
Years in business: 1
wingspancyclery.com
Park Chambers, president, Fat Tire Farm
Portland, Oregon
Four stores: Fat Tire Farm, Portland, 3,500 square feet; 21st Ave. Bicycles, Portland, 2,000 square feet; Traction Works, Portland, 1,500 square feet; Hood River Bicycles, Hood River, Ore., 1,250 square feet
20 full-time employees, three part time
Years in business: 19
fattirefarm.com
Greg Matyas, owner, Speedway Cycles/Fatback Bikes
Anchorage, Alaska
Two stores, 6,000 square feet total
Eight full-time employees
Years in business: 9
speedwaycyclesak.com
Ali Fuchs, owner, Big Al's Bicycle Heaven
Crested Butte, Colorado
One store, 1,350 square feet
Four full-time employees
Years in business: 10
bigalsbicycleheaven.com
Matt Mueller, sales manager, Bicycles Plus
Dallas, Texas
Four stores; Dallas, Flower Mound, Coppell and Allen, about 5,000 square feet each
40 full-time employees
Years in business: 22
bicyclesplustx.com
Vanessa Buccella, co-owner, BFF Bikes
Chicago, Illinois
One store, 1,000 square feet
Three full-time and five part-time employees
Years in business: 2.5
bffbikes.com
Bobby Wintle, co-owner, District Bicycles
Stillwater, Oklahoma
One store, 5,300 square feet
Five full-time employees
Years in business: 5
districtbicycles.com
Adam Kohn, owner, On Two Wheels
Jackson, Michigan
One store, 5,000 square feet
Three full-time employees
Years in business: 17
otwjackson.com
Ilene Marcos, co-owner, Bicycle World
Mount Kisco, New York
One store, 8,000 square feet of retail; 8,000 square feet of storage
Six full-time employees, six part time
Years in business: 44; 24 under current ownership
bicycleworldny.com
John Worth, owner, East Burke Sports
One store, 5,100 square feet
Eight full-time employees
Years in business: 28
eastburkesports.com
