Editor's note: This week we are featuring retailers who received Interbike Retailer Innovation Awards at the Interbike show this month.
Staff from the National Bicycle Dealers Association, The Mann Group and Interbike selected 10 retailers from a pool of self-nominated businesses. Stores were asked to apply and share strategies and ideas that they have implemented and which have yielded positive results over the past 12 months. Interbike Innovation Award winners also were featured in the Sept. 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.
Today we feature Aaron’s Bicycle Repair of White Center, Washington.
When Aaron Goss moved his shop to its current location in early 2017, he devoted more than 50 percent of the new space to service and repair.
While Aaron’s Bicycle Repair has always been service focused, the 1,800-square-foot shop features an open-air repair area located front and center in the shop.
A 25-foot-long glass and wood display, which Goss built, is filled with “hundreds of parts and gewgaws from bicycling’s past.” Some products in the case are also for sale.
The shop’s tools and workbench have always been focal points of the store, and in his new location Goss has them neatly organized on a light wood background.
“The tools look really nice and people are impressed,” said Goss, who opened the store in Seattle in 1997. “Service is the majority of our business, with 34 percent of our income from labor and most parts and accessories sales are for or come out of repair jobs. Bikes — new and used — only make up about 10 percent of our sales.”
Charging enough for service has contributed to the shop’s success.
“We charge maybe a little more than some shops, but you wouldn’t take your car to the cheapest mechanic. We charge a fair price. Our shop is one of the cleanest and organized you will likely see, and that sets us apart,” Goss said.
Shop website: rideyourbike.com.
