PORTLAND, OR (BRAIN) — Portland city-bike specialist Joe Bike, which relocated to a larger space in January, has now opened a separate cycling clothing store, JoeBike Apparel, in its former location on Stumptown’s fashionable Hawthorne Boulevard.
The 600-square-foot store specializes in apparel that works both on and off the bike, with brands including Swrve, Mission Workshop, Chrome, Club Ride, DZR shoes, Sheila Moon, Giro New Road and Canada’s Loeka and Riyoko.
Owner Joe Doebele said the shop has a boutique feel, but that was not his intention. “We just made it look nice to the point where people called it a boutique,” he said.
Although Doebele had done business in the space for the four years his bike shop was there, the build-out for the clothing store took two months. Originally a horse butchery, the space had a slanted floor to drain to a ditch along one wall. It took 15 tons of concrete to level it out, Doebele said. New paint, lighting and fixtures followed.
Meanwhile, since January Joe Bike (the bike shop) has been in its new 1,500-square foot space — plus basement and loft — four blocks away along one of Portland’s lauded Neighborhood Greenway cycling routes.
Joe Bike got its start selling cargo bikes — it remains the No. 1 seller for California cargo brand Yuba — but Doebele said his business has gravitated more toward city bikes to serve Portland’s strong commuter community.
“Right now we’re specializing in city bikes with disc brakes, internal-gear hubs,” he said. Brands include Spot, Norco, Surly, Civia and Germany’s Tout Terrain.
“We also do a lot of customization and push that on social media” to bring in new customers seeking something different from an out-of-the-box bike, Doebele said.
