Retail
GREENVILLE, S.C. (BRAIN)—It was a double celebration for Pedal Chic owner Robin Bylenga when she held the grand reopening of her women’s bicycle and athletic shop in mid-November: The shop’s return also coincided with its first anniversary.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (BRAIN)—Freewheel Bike Midtown Bike Center is holding its first Winter Bike Expo on Saturday, with seminars, supplier booths and a snow bike criterium to welcome in the new season.
FALLS CHURCH, VA (BRAIN)—Bikenetic will hold a grand opening and open house Saturday, Dec. 3, offering visitors tours of the new shop, a barbecue, and drinks and snacks all day.
CHAPEL HILL, NC (BRAIN)—Performance Bicycle has hired Carol Wentworth as senior vice president of marketing. She will develop and manage strategic marketing for the company.
ATTLEBORO, MA (BRAIN)—Just as the holiday shopping season gets into gear, Union Cycle owner Rick Desmarais found himself in the unenviable position Tuesday of possibly having to close his doors for two months.
TUCSON, AZ (BRAIN)—ProBike Tucson has had to overcome its share of obstacles on the way to opening its doors this month. An earlier lease deal fell apart, and it took partners Chris Gould and Karl Schindler the better part of a year to find their final location.
NEW YORK, NY (BRAIN)—Ahead of its official launch Friday, Dec. 2, REI staged a soft opening for its first New York City store over Thanksgiving weekend.
NEW YORK, NY (BRAIN)—The record number of shoppers who turned out for Black Friday may have been encouraging to retailers overall, but bike shops contacted Monday by Bicycle Retailer reported mixed results for their sales promotions over the long holiday weekend.
WAUKEGAN, IL (BRAIN)—The owners of Midwest Bicycles & Billiards are asking cyclists, collectors and retailers to be on the lookout for a number of vintage BMX bikes and parts stolen in a break-in at the Waukegan, Illinois, shop this month.
TORONTO, Ontario (BRAIN)—Norco has expanded its partnership store program to Canada’s east coast with the opening of Cyclepath Yonge and Eglinton in central Toronto.
NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia (BRAIN)—Ryders Eyewear has created a new visual merchandising and display program for retailers.
NEW YORK, NY (BRAIN)—718 Cyclery may have moved out of its namesake telephone area code in Brooklyn—it’s now in the borough’s 347 zone in the Gowanus neighborhood—but one thing that remains unchanged is the year-old shop’s fierce commitment to independence.
BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—Leisure Trends Group reported that October outdoor retail sales rose 14 percent compared with the same month last year, totaling about $426 million, according to preliminary data.
By Toby Hill
FORT COLLINS, CO—No need to worry about locking up your bike if you pop in for a pint of porter or cup of joe at Cranknstein in Fort Collins, Colorado.
By Lynette Carpiet
TAMPA, FL—University Bicycle Center sold more than 300 pairs of Specialized-branded cycling shoes last year. Shoes were one of its biggest categories with Specialized, according to Carlos Mirabal, vice president and manager of the Tampa, Florida, store.
TALENT, OR (BRAIN)—Like many bicycle retailers, Flywheel Bicycle Solutions will close up for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. But when the 6-year-old shop reopens Dec. 3, it will be in a new location that is more than twice its current size.
PORTLAND, OR (BRAIN)—If you’re hoping to make a lunchtime run to put your bike in for a derailleur adjustment or wheel truing, you might be out of luck at Green Garage Bicycle Repair. After all, owner Bill Fasano closes his new Portland shop from noon to 2 p.m. to hold a group ride.
TULSA, OK (BRAIN)—918XC.com, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, bicycle shop and e-commerce site specializing in 29er mountain bikes, has entered into a merger agreement with Austin, Texas, retailer Hammerhead Bikes.
FORT WORTH, TX (BRAIN)—Trinity Bicycles will move to a new space in Sundance Square, a 35-block retail, residential, entertainment and cultural district in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.