Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
Keep this as a dream. It's a fine dream. Reality will only spoil it.
The ones I see that are doing well have a niche that they fill better than anyone else.My LBS seems to be doing well and I support them as much as possible. Cheaper stuff off the net doesn't help me when I have a mechanical!
Always makes me laugh when it is said that you can buy the parts online cheaper than the LBS' can get them wholesale. Why aren't the LBs' also buying them online, if that's the cheaper model? They can then add on their markup and sell cheaper than wholesale too then?
Clearly they need to make a profit, totally deserved too, but I agree with @Gravity Aided in that they need to think outside the current model.
Personally, I would have a Café with plenty of space for bikes and have a mechanic roaming around doing jobs whilst people replenish themselves. Doing the work with the customer could be a niche that would attract more custom and aid learning too?
I agree. There's a niche bike shop opened fairly near to me. Totally new business and in a newly converted building which could be missed if didn't know it was there.Yebbut....LBS owners like to buy and sell bikes....cos that what an LBS does, right?
Wrong
The future for LBS are either ultra-niche (top of the range carbon, recumbents, tandems, electric assist, whatever) or repairs. Ultimately there will be no middle ground, that will be occupied by online and major retailers. Now going ultra-niche is really hard cos the inventory is a killer and you really have to know your specialist stuff. So repairs is the way for the vast majority. But LBS see it as a bit of a sideline when it should be the main business.
I very much like your idea of what is ostensibly a café where you can have your beans and toast and a cappuccino while the mechanic does some minor repairs to the bike. Café business is all about footfall. So there's a group of cyclists and one has a bit of a mechanical....in they all come to your café, bingo