LBS owners

[vanilla_gorilla]

how did you get started? do you enjoy what you do?
im a business major who jsut realized theres no LBS anywhere around besides wally world so i was just looking for insights in the industry from
some people who know it best

 

[aka_locojoe]

I'm not a owner but I know two and they both started working at their shop at a young age and eventually took it over.
So I suppose there was a lot of years learning both about bikes and business and had experience before they owned it
I'm sure one of these owners will chime in.

 

[TJK]

Ive thought about opening a shop sometime in the future.. like when i retire (30 years!) or so...

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

yea i dont think im gonna open one immediately just noticed there was a potential market for one

 

[Anonymous]

my LBS was a good friend before he took over the shop. it has it's ups and downs.
you will have to cater to a large group of people. he says wally world and the internet are the worst for his shop.
who wants to pay 70 bucks to fix a bike when you can buy a new one for the same price.
he and his wife had it hard when they started. one would tend the shop while the other worked.
they also sell skate stuff and ski and snow boards and service them to offset slow winter months.
he asked us to help him choose a new location because he had little or no foot traffic.
his shop was on the far end of town on a major intersection but no kids.

so pick a area that has good foot traffic.
where kids can get to you without mom and dad freaking out because they have to risk busy roads.

after he moved he has been doing very well now. after the first 2 months he said
"man bro i didn't know how many more grilled cheese and hot dogs i could eat"

 

[moparmayhem93]

i'm only 15 and i always thought a bike shop woud be a cool idea
just gettin started worried me :shock:

 

[Bicyclerick]

As a new owner I will say that you have to love what you do. your not going to get rich in the bike business, you have to compete with the mass market bikes at half the price of your bikes and depending where you are its a seasonal business so you have some slow months that you barely make enough to cover your overhead but you are your own boss and that pays its own dividends lol.I've been in the bike business for 32 years and still love going to work. Every day is a new adventure and I get to do what i love to do and thats playing with bikes.

 

[sensor]

after he moved he has been doing very well now. after the first 2 months he said
"man bro i didn't know how many more grilled cheese and hot dogs i could eat"

shoulda let him in on the top ramen(sp?) secret :wink:

 

[skoda]

Like any new business, your number one concern has to be "how do I get customers?"

I would think it would be critical to be located in a bike-friendly urban area or college town, near a lot of apartments or rental property, reasonalbe rent on your space and in a climate that is somewhat conducive to year round biking.

I'd love to see more LBS' make it, but the world is changing. Man, what a great job though.

 

[12bcruzin]

Like any new business, your number one concern has to be "how do I get customers?"
I would think it would be critical to be located in a bike-friendly urban area or college town, near a lot of apartments or rental property, reasonalbe rent on your space and in a climate that is somewhat conducive to year round biking.
I'd love to see more LBS' make it, but the world is changing. Man, what a great job though.

In my city, with a population of over 250k, we had six bike shops. Now we have two. And now we have several big chains and a new mall-all selling bikes. So you would think that these two stores would be fighting tooth and nail to bring customers in. Sadly both are invisible. No advertising, no internet promoting...nothing but word of mouth. Each has their specialty and participate in those specifics, one BMX , the other Road and MTB. But new residents will never find either and old residents are being wooed by the shiney new mall. Both shops are owned and operated by owners that have been in the business, in my opinion, too long.
Like Skoda said above, the ideal places exist but they probably have a shop taking care of the needs of the locals. The challenge is in finding shops like in my area and bringing the passion and enthusiasm to those shops. Don't wait until you are old enough to retire-LBSs need you now...

 

[CCR]

There are 4 bike shops within a 50 mile radius of me, 3 of which are in a college town (carbondale, il) and all are located within about 5 blocks of each other. the one that seems to do the most business in the college town has the best parking lot and are closest to the shopping strip, the others are on busy roads with only street parking at the end of the strip. All seem to be centered around mountain/comfort bikes and each carry a few Road and BMX bikes, and typically only 1or 2 cruiser style bikes, these shops also stay away from used bicycles unless its a high end road bike or similar. The biggest reply as to why they dont want to sell used bikes is because of the prices, for what they could sell a used bike for someone could go to any pawn shop or wal-mart and have the same thing for less and most of the trade ins are wal-mart bikes to begin with, the often say that they dont want to insult their customers on what they could allow for a used bikes so they just make it a shop policy not to take "trade-ins". The other Bike Shop which I frequent the most ( located in a small town ) carries several of all kinds and very few high-end Road bikes and does have used bikes for sell, but only as a last resort. They sell mostly commuter bikes but carry a few odds and ends for cruiser bikes too aside from the bikes themselves. As far as special order stuff, they are more than willing but often take a looooong time due to order amounts and different vendors they use. Ive waited over 4 months before at the collegetown shops for parts as well tho. Also within a 50 mile radius of me there are 6 Wal-Marts, 1 Target, and 2 K-marts and about 15-20 pawn shops. There are also a handful of "from-home/garage-cash only" places in several towns that are good for gettin a cheap used bike from that im sure put a hurtin on a bike shop.

ive thought about "the shop" thing myself and just decided if i did, bikes wouldnt be fun anymore, it would be work. :lol: I live in a pretty low average income area (i believe 25-35k is the average household income, sometimes less) and dont think a specialized shop would be all that productive in my area. I think id make more $ setting up a booth at a consignment shop instead for the amount of time i could afford to spend on my hobby :mrgreen:

 

[Hugo]

I've managed a big LBS for a couple of years. The glamour goes away pretty quickly. You spend all day dealing with phone calls, invoices, emails, unhappy customers, damaged goods, messed up orders, stock management, and shop lifters. At the end of the day, you could be working at an electrical apliance store because it would be the same.

Yeah, you get to be around all the cool bike stuff and make great friends, but it's a business first and a bike shop only after that. I had a bad experience mind you, I'm sure many owners will feel happy and fulfilled.

Hugo