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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