Day 17 of Gratitude - The Local Bike Shop
31 Days of Gratitude - In an attempt to publicly express my gratitude for the people that have impacted me in some way in 2015, I'm setting out to write one post a day sharing what I appreciate about them or what moment that marked me. Some of these people I know well, some I've only met, and some I'm just getting to know. There is no ranking to these posts and they aren't meant to put anyone on a pedestal. They, like you and I, are imperfect people with their own flaws, some you may have experienced. Despite those flaws, I believe we all need to have our positive characteristics called into light and celebrated. This is that attempt.
I spent about 4 hours today in a local bike shop. Think about that for a second. 4 hours in a local retail store just hanging out, talking about bikes, riding, the bike industry, and the things we enjoy about the community surrounding this sport. Plus, I hung out on a good day where there were multiple reps coming into the shop to talk about new, fancy products. The bike in this picture is over $6000 and I got to ride it around the parking lot, which is cool in a fan-boy kind of way. This particular store was created by a successful businessman that combined his knack for business with his passion for cycling in an attempt to create a spot in our community that fueled both of those interests. He's done a great job of attract other professionals like himself to run the store day to day that left what some would say were more promising careers to do this. However, work consumes so much of our lives and will always be draining, but if you do something you love, it sure makes for more great days than bad days.
There is no doubt that the local retailer struggles to fight off the internet's ability to dominate on price, but it'll never dominate on experience and overall value. We need the local bike store to be the experts in our cycling lives, keep our bikes working, have the necessities when we need them, and keep our lust for the next bike or the N+1. If we're honest, what we need is a place to put our roots into the soil of a community of cyclists that we can thrive in. Each local bike shop I've been in has a different feel, operational model, and customer base, which in mind is the way it should be. We can't, nor should we try to all be the same.
Today, I'm grateful for the local bike shop entrepreneurs combining business, passion, and customer service to create meaningful places for us live out what brings us life. For the guys/girls that have chosen to live the professional retail life, thank you. I think what you do for a living matters, especially if you believe in it. Those that believe that this is a profession thrive at their jobs and truly make the local bike shop irreplaceable. Sure, I may be able to find some cheaper tires online, but I need you and I promise to support you whenever I can.
I think this post could be inserted with any local, consumer driven business whether you're selling stuff or selling a service. Your service is who you are and even more today than before, because I can get stuff cheaper online, but I can't get you online. And, I need you. I encourage you to remember that you need your customers and even if they're a pain in the ass, listen to them, serve them, and ask them to come back.
