The project that we all dream about has landed in my lap, a bike shop.
I'm a professional retail designer (mainly posh clothes shops but other guilty secrets too) and ex-bike shop manager, ex-racer, ex-DH guide, (etc) and have been on these forums since, well, the 9feet days.
So what would be awesome is a bit of bike shop picture research from you guys.
The shop will be on the small side, so those space rich super conceptual ideas are nice for inspiration, but stuff like that rarely trickles down.
Anyway, I'd you've seen something cool it would be great if you posted it here!
You definitely need one of these outside the shop and a camera filming it..
You will, of course, include a large women's specific area?? You will, WON'T YOU?!
That clip is bone chillingly cold I now feel sick!!!
Any way just been refitting my shop and turning into a boutique as its quite small with lots of original 1960's solid oak paneling and chunky brass fittings as it used to the main drawing room on Brooke business park in lowestoft where they used to make all the luxury ships so all the fitted cupboards are solid think oak that where put in my the ship fitters all the window latches are brass as well. Walls are now painted matt White with all stained and waxed wood and brass even the toilet is posh with polished tiles and brass fittings
I'll get some pics taken all my tool boards are stained and burned then waxed pine.
I wish I hadn't watched that film.
from the comments;
[i]The guy didn’t die or suffer life threatening injury’s which is great news, but has several broken bones and possibly 2 broken elbows and a hugely dented pride. He’s been in touch with RV&E Bike & Skate Store and promised to address the situation.?[/i]
no mention of any law suit against the shop...
Access to the bikes, good change room, workshop in sight with a quiet area for real hammering. Use the floor space well, make sure you can find stuff.
No slattwall!!!! But if you have too use Microslat.
If it's a small shop have they briefed you on the amount of sqft dedicated to bikes vs accessories / parts. I cant stand small shops that over stock with so many bikes you can't walk around.
I did see a clothes rail at a trade show (shopfitting) that had bike wheels and was designed to slot next to the other bikes on display - but it was a one off. Would be good for a small shop though.
The brooks store in Covent Garden as a nice take on accessories - more fashion boutique than bike shop. It's worth a Google / visit.
Make sure the graphics are modern and flexible
I really like the use of reclaimed wood and I think it works well for a bikeshop. Bothy Bikes have a ceiling made from old pallets which looks great and dead easy for hanging stuff off.
Agree that some bikeshops are a total pain by having so much stuff on the floor you can't move or actually see anything properly.
All bikeshops should have a coffee machine in the corner.
cram as many bikes possible in, practically touching each other, so punters can't actually get to see them, they all get battered and scratched, and you make a £3K bike look as aspirational and desireable as a £5 sale-rail Tee shirt.
Seems to be the rule of thumb.
Problem is that shops need to sell bikes to make money - every retail store I've been involved with will change the layout and add more stock within days of launch. Compley changes the feel of the store (and is against building / fire regs) as walkways get smaller and you can't step back to view the products. But retailers know how to sell stuff (buy for £A, sell for £A+B)- not necessarily how to lay out a good shop and keep it welcoming.
I did an equestrian shop about 7 years ago - full custom job everything in it was custom made. Looked great on launch. visited 2 years later and they had filled it with more stock to meet demand. Popped in last year and it had completely changed, lost all of the charm / quirkyness - looked like a home bargains.
If your client has a good business model then work from that. Get your block plan right for sales, bikes vs clothes vs accessories.
Personally the more geeky details the better - remember the stools made from 3 sets of dorado's?
If they have the budget try to incorporate as many bike parts into the shopfitting as possible - ask the owner if they have any great relationships with distributors to try and get some stems / forks etc on the cheap which could be used as door handles etc.
You need a bike display system like you get for looking at large prints/carpet samples.
Punters can flick through the display to look at their preferred bike without having to peer over the tangle of handle bars or worry about knocking everything over.
Either a semicircle of bikes that hinge at the back or a long row where several bikes can be pushed sideways without colliding to access the middle one.
Nothing worse than a shop where you have to press yourself into a gap whilst browsing to let other people get past.
The sell-em-cheap; pile-em-high mantra was practiced by our Retail Manager (my boss) when I was a manager. I would carefully select a mix of sizes and models for the 'monkeys to build and he would come along and *east end barrow boy accent* - "get them bikes all built up, people need to see lots of bikes, stack them up aautside, get the punters in". My lovely shop, ruined by heaps of tangled bikes everywhere.
@monkeyboyjc
I so hear you about the shop moving on after the design; we did a very expensive, very high end large space in Chelsea and after our curation period it decayed into what looks like a flea market.
You need a bike display system like you get for looking at large prints/carpet samples.
Pretty mad; I was having the same sketchy thoughts in my note book last night. Its an attempt to give each bike its own space, like art.
Loving all the comments - keep them coming please!
(as I sit in bed with a stinking cold, snow still at sill height outside my bedroom)
Great thread & good timing as we expanding into a bigger room, for showing off the retail/bikes better, + a area for basic bike fitting.
MonkeyBoy why "No slattwall!!!!"?
Anyone new where to get a good till counter with a display section as well?
How small is small? The shop I worked in longest was 20mx8m, of which the last 5m were used as a workshop. It had a basement which was used for storage but wasn't suitable for customers (low ceilings, rocky floor, poor light). If it's that size you may have no choice but to pile stuff in to have enough stock to sell.
I'd agree about most shops having too many bikes in, and not being able to see them. Some way of showing off all the bikes clearly, like one of Kestrel's racks where you can see three or four bikes side on at once, would be good. Anything else usually leads to damage or you can't see what you're trying to buy, particularly a layout like this-
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Rockets and Rascals in Plymouth is a really nice, well-designed shop (I'm an architect, tend to notice boring things like surfaces/cladding/lighting!).
Just googled it to find some pictures and they've got google streetview IN the shop, somehow: http://goo.gl/maps/XUtmx
The layout is a bit different now but the principles are the same:
- lots of bike parking inside the front of the shop, for cafe and shop users
- staff workstations are right on the shopfloor so there's no traditional Evans-style counter, makes it easier to chat to them.
- bikes are well displayed, mostly on the walls rather than floor. Enough space so you can walk around and look at them a bit like you're in a gallery. Not just super-premium bikes but mid-range too.
- Clothing is also simply and clearly displayed, looks like they select particular products to display rather than throwing an entire manufacturer's range on a tiny rack.
Overall the atmosphere is approachable and relaxed.
You need to try to organise the shop so that there is a logical flow of work . Most shops seem to have a system where the bikes are delivered in boxes into the showroom , they then have to be moved upstairs , then when they need building they have to be fetched down and taken to the workshop where they get built , then they have to be taken back to the showroom to be displayed .Far easier if the bikes are delivered through the workshop door and stored there until they get built then taken to the showroom . Same applies to repairs coming in .
My lbs has some neat display stands that slide out so they can have a couple of rows of bikes on top of each other but each individual bike can be easily accessible.
MonkeyBoy why "No slattwall!!!!"
I just Can't stand the stuff - looks as cheap as it is. [s]Bike[/s] shops that use it as wall cladding do my head in. Yes it's practical and cost effective but leads to lazy visual merchandising - just a wall of hooks and prongs. ..
Microslat is much cleaner in appearance and used sparingly in the correct place, built in to the shopfitting, or framed on a wall gives a greater sense of perpose. Any one can clad four wall of a shop in slattwall, but you won't see 'designed' shops using it in vast quantities as it just becomes a mess.
Have a computer/tablet so people can browse in the shop and the order directly from CRC if they have poor mobile reception.
Oh and a collect+ kiosk in store too so people can do their CRC/Wiggle returns
😀
Lack of any room to actually sit on a bike and take a good look around it is my pet hate. Also those horrible rear wheel racks that are difficult to pull bikes out of when they are crammed in like above ^
Bike parking in the shop is good too, if you can spare the room. It means people will actually spend more time in there and not be worrying about their bike outside. A public track pump inside in that area could be good too.
My lbs has a leather sofa and wood burner 😀
Thanks MonkeyBoy, not planning to cover the whole place in slat wall anyway, I bear it mind. but I prob go with slat wall as got a bit of it as it is, think it looks ok, (black with red inserts) end of the day they both have things hang off them.
Just need to make a floor plan and do some costings!
[quote=fionap ]Rockets and Rascals in Plymouth is a really nice, well-designed shop (I'm an architect, tend to notice boring things like surfaces/cladding/lighting!).
Just googled it to find some pictures and they've got google streetview IN the shop, somehow: http://goo.gl/maps/XUtmx
The layout is a bit different now but the principles are the same:
- lots of bike parking inside the front of the shop, for cafe and shop users
- staff workstations are right on the shopfloor so there's no traditional Evans-style counter, makes it easier to chat to them.
- bikes are well displayed, mostly on the walls rather than floor. Enough space so you can walk around and look at them a bit like you're in a gallery. Not just super-premium bikes but mid-range too.
- Clothing is also simply and clearly displayed, looks like they select particular products to display rather than throwing an entire manufacturer's range on a tiny rack.
Overall the atmosphere is approachable and relaxed.
and from what I've heard are bleeding money...
A big touch screen display in the middle where you can google where to get the parts cheaper on the web?
Joking aside - I think this would be good, kind of like Argos where you can order at home, pop in, put your order number and then collect.
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or just a working kettle if space is at a premium 😀
However much room you have allowed for storing customer bikes, double it. Repair bikes take a lot of space, and once you've got a couple stripped and then waiting for parts, and then the family of 6 who dropped them off before going on holiday for a month that space rapidly gets filled.
and from what I've heard are bleeding money...
Ohhh I hope not. 🙁 They were really busy last weekend when we popped in.
After seeing the Rocket and Rascals inside streetview, I'm liking the idea of having all merchandising/accessories below chest height either around the walls or as island units, then have 1 or 2 bikes on top of each unit.
Room for all the stuff that normally litters the walls up to the ceiling, art gallery style clear walls and the bikes slapped right in front of your nose where you can't help but dribble over the bling drivetrain and wheels when all you came in for was a spare tube. Fancy uplighters under the bike if required along with a list of sizes/options that are available to be brought up from the creepy basement whilst you get served your complimentary coffee. Display space under the bike for selected impulse buys or to show off stuff thats hidden in the hangers below.
Plus points is you won't get punters testing the suspension on every bike or risking damage, but the bike is easy to get down by staff.
Arcade-style toy grabber in one corner, filled with 2nd hand parts and old stock. Ride-thru window for emergency supplies (if situated near where the riding happens).
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If your tight on space - raise the front wheels to reduce the wheel base of the bikes....?
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An entrance that lets customers enter and exit the shop without damage to the bike, the shop, or themselves!!! 😡
The project that we all dream about has landed in my lap, a bike shop.
I dream of being a viking, discovering new lands then raping and pillaging them and eating roasted pig legs by clutching them by the trotter. There's not a bike shop in sight.
Make sure you have a well presented area full of shiny things, knick knacks and impulse buys - they are the kind of things that keep money money going through the till on those cold days when no one's buying bikes.
Trendy displays made out of bits of tree, no ceiling, pipework visible everywhere, posh coffee, grunge music and gnar videos. Maybe a couple of actual bikes, nothing under £5k.
Ticks the boxes of a high end MTB shop 😀
(ensure suitable parking for BMW/Audis for actual customers who will buy the stuff 😉 )
Missed the chance to edit my last post but also...
You will, of course, include a large women's specific area?? You will, WON'T YOU?!
I'm no titan of industry but it would surely be business hara-kiri to dedicate a considerable portion of this shop on the off chance that fat ladies want to purchase a bike or some oversized lycra. And the coffee machine is a no-no too. Is it a social club or a business they are hoping to run? Do they really want cycle wahankers hanging around boring the clean fuuk out of anyone and everyone?
Coffee and tea. Buns and biscuits.
First aid, mechanicing and skills training courses.
PCs for browsing. Free wifi. Open plan mechanics area.
Affiliate commision from all the mail order suppliers.
What kind of bike shop? There's a big difference between a shop for cycling enthusiasts and one intended to attract beginners and non-cyclists.
I've never understood why, but the bike shops round me are always freezing cold inside. Make sure there's some heating.
Also, get somebody in to design the lighting. It makes a big difference to the feel of the place. My gf is such a designer
edit: what about a drinks fridge? Like what's in jewellery shops and the like...
What kind of bike shop? There's a big difference between a shop for cycling enthusiasts and one intended to attract beginners and non-cyclists.
This.
The Specialized concept stores are amazing (the one in Newbury springs to mind). Almost like an art gallery, whereas my LBS (Cycle King, Colchester) has got hundreds of intertwined BSOs. No matter how nice the shop layout is, if you stuff it to the rafters with cheap BSOs and accesories it may as well be a in a run down charity shop.
You do this for a living and you think that the folks of stw are first point of call on designing a successful bike shop !!!
Best off luck with that 🙂
How about using a sliding door entrance. Getting bikes through a hinged door is a PITA.
How about using a sliding door entrance. Getting bikes through a hinged door is a PITA.
This!
You do this for a living and you think that the folks of stw are first point of call on designing a successful bike shop !!!
Well, yes, I was going to say that but decided to be diplomatic 😀
You will, of course, include a large women's specific area?? You will, WON'T YOU?!
Why not go the whole hog and make it female specific, you just need to get the marketing right - you could incorporate a popular chocolate into the name* and call it minstrel-cycles!!
*all girls like chocolate so it'll grab their attention and put them in a good mood ready to spend lots of money!
as many decals and stickers as you can manage
Have a weighing area with various sized sets of scales. The weight weenies can paw over shiny bits and check real-world weights before shaving grammes off their current build for many £££.
You could even have a wall of fame for lightest bike to get a bit of competition going with them to encourage extra spend 🙂
More seriously:
Decent changing room
Secure customer bike parking
Plenty of parking (audi-sized bays of course)
One of those mobile banked tracks to test bikes on
Lady Gresley - Member
You will, of course, include a large women's specific area?...
That describes some bike shop owners I have met...
🙂
As far as space is concerned - "Bikes expand to fill the space available"*
*version of Parkinson's Law
Designer's bike shop
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.
Rider's bike shop
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.
I know which one I prefer.
Lunar Cycles in London started off as an all-women bike co-op, hence the name.Why not go the whole hog and make it female specific, you just need to get the marketing right - you could incorporate a popular chocolate into the name* and call it minstrel-cycles!!
Why stocking ladies bike clothing is so hard.
Bloke-I want some shorts.
Shop-Here you are.
Bloke-Ta
.
Bird-I want some shorts
Shop-Here you are.
Bird-Have you got them in a different shade of black?
Shop-Here you are.
Bird-Have you got them 1/2inch longer?
Shop-Here you are.
Bird-Have you got them with 3 pockets instead of 4?
Shop-Here you are
Bird-Have you got them in a slimmer fit?
Shop-Here you are
Bird-Mmmmmm.These are perfect.But I don't need any right now.
sliding / Auto door, wide enough for 780mm bars.
sheltered hoops outside and somewhere inside to store bikes.
Somewhere inside to rest the bike if it is being moved through to the workshop as there is always some dad trying to haggle over a £99 BSO while you are trying to get your wheel trued/brakes bled
Pump for customers inside and outside (similar to the sort found at major stations) with Allen keys for those quick nip up jobs
space to walk around
space to see the bikes preferably not just at ground level
Store tyres etc overhead
Changing room
Stock cheap, mid and expensive of all items. Lots of stores jump from £12.99 - £49.99
Visible work shop
dream bike in the window
Mirror next to the Helmet display
heat
Lights
Open late, no one goes to the bike shop at 9am so open at 10 a few days and stay open till 18:30 - 19:00 a couple of days.
Also do the sunday morning life saver shift and open 10-13:00
SPD friendly flooring!
a stool for a customer
wireless card machine
Don't forget hooks to hang bikes from the ceiling.
Hooks must be low enough so customers bang their heads on the bikes, otherwise they'd never notice them.
Toilets, tea coffe machine, scales, some seats, and a table,large tv,s,decent lighting, slatterd or perforated window shutters, and leave some lights on at night till 22.00 so we can window shop when closed,free air pump,secure bike racks,customer/rides notice board, prices on all bikes,non tiled floor so youre not like bambi on ice when you walk or slide in with cleats, automatic doors,push button delay type,
I get the feeling a shop stuffed with budget shopper bikes and BSOs are likely to do more business than any other. Any truth in this?
dantsw13 - Member
How about using a sliding door entrance. Getting bikes through a hinged door is a PITA.
Sliding door is also easier for thieves to get the bikes out though 😉
From experience you need to design the 'ideal' and then a 'what it will actually look like' when you have 20 service bikes in, customers looking at stuff, enough bikes/stock to offer the variety you need for the demographic...not easy! Like any shop bar the servicing aspect.
Do it as cheaply as possible. No point burdening a new venture with excess debt.
Make sure the whole shop can be run by one person. This will reduce running costs. If the workshop is in the shop area make sure the mechanic can handle the till.
Ensure good sight-lines and keep small stuff where it won't attract shoplifters. Margins are thin enough without incurring theft loss.
Why stocking ladies bike clothing is so hard.Bloke-I want some shorts.
Shop-Here you are.
Bloke-Ta
.
Bird-I want some shorts
Shop-Here you are.
Bird-Have you got them in a different shade of black?
Shop-Here you are.
Bird-Have you got them 1/2inch longer?
Shop-Here you are.
Bird-Have you got them with 3 pockets instead of 4?
Shop-Here you are
Bird-Have you got them in a slimmer fit?
Shop-Here you are
Bird-Mmmmmm.These are perfect.But I don't need any right now.
Jesus Christ. I appear to be a bird.
Thanks for all the input, [i]most[/i] has been pretty useful. 😉
The shop is an established road brand/shop/thing with a different business plan, so no stacks of nasty scafolding pipe bikes, but many unique ones.
You do this for a living and you think that the folks of stw are first point of call on designing a successful bike shop !!!
Best off luck with that
Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we'll do the right thing, though a shop with some chesterfields, a coffee, cake and tea bar, one super niche bike and some huge tellys for the STW crowd would be nice.
It's interesting what people say about shop interiors because there are so many types of shop - a friend owns a shop here in Montreal that is incredibly messy, he doesn't let customers in the shop with bikes and is awful to everyone but he still turns a profit. On the other end are the SBC 'Concept' stores that are über clean and kind of soulless.
On the subject of Girl's shops; there is one here called [url= http://www.bikuriousmontreal.com/about-2 ]bikurious[/url] here (run by a laydee); along with more shops per person than almost any other city I have been to.
Affiliate commision from all the mail order suppliers.
Genius. Is this a thing in the bike industry now? 'Cause it should be.
I'll keep you updated with the progress!
Anyone know flamejob, or what the outcome of this post was?
It'd be interesting to see. Plus, I'd be interested in knowing where in Montreal the shop is.