Our Co-op's former location was less than a block from a real bike shop. At first the bike shop owner was peeved but soon realized that many of our customers were coming to them for parts we did not have. Also, the bike shop was sending the co-op customers with bikes that " weren't really worth fixing". Co-ops and regular bike shops are two different animals and we get along pretty well with the shops near us ( Spokes, Big Wheel, Bicycle Pro Shop, Performance)
On Thu, Jun 19, 2014 at 12:33 PM, Stephen Andruski swandruski@gmail.com wrote:
I'm in the process of starting a bike co-op in the Rockville, MD area. Once we are established, I want to go and talk to the managers of the commercial bike shops in the area. Since I can foresee some potential antagonism based on the perception that the co-op will compete with them for repair business, I want to go armed with information. Does anyone know of any studies that show the economic impact of bike co-ops on the commercial shops in the same area? Along the same lines, does anyone have personal experience on the reaction of commercial shops to the start up of a co-op in "their" area? The more specific you can be in the responses, the better, though I can understand if you don't want to throw someone under the bus.
Any information would be helpful. We're still a few months away from actually needing this information, but I'd like to be prepared.
Thanks,
Steve Andruski swandruski@gmail.com
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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln
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