Thinking of opening a bike shop in the Northeast

[daisycutter]

Powder Ridge is being developed for lift access in central CT.

BIKERAG.COM FORUM • View forum - Powder Ridge MTB

If you're going to jump, maybe this is the right time.

From Powderidges site
We are sorry to announce that Powder Ridge will not be opening this year as originally expected, pending sale of the area.

Those that have recently ordered season passes should be advised that their orders have not been processed to their credit cards.

[Berkley]

Read thoroughly: Want to Start a Bike Shop? - National Bicycle Dealers Association

And be aware that those stats are no joke!

[thefriar]

More power to you but...

CT is not a DH friendly place if you're riding and buying bikes.

CT is not an MTB friendly place if you're riding and buying bikes.

CT is a Roadie friendly place if you're riding and buying bikes.

The shop guys love mountain, but they can't move the mt bikes, they just sit.

I'm the local NEMBA chapter prez in Fairfield County and I try and get shops to really kick up the mtb interest and there's just so much Roadie demand its tough (our local trails are a barrier to many people getting past their first rides since we don't have beginner trails).

We have the big riding, someone mentioned 10' drops, there's substantially bigger than that in the woods down this way, but everyone buys online or has to special order or or or... heck Richie Rude Jr who's on the Yeti Jr DH team and travels around the world is from the area and there's no one that has a Yeti DH bike in stock... where's the local DH pride????

If you're gonna try, DH gear will be good but you'll want a solid AM and Trail line up and as others have said, awesome service on everything bicycle. Maybe get a couple bling sleds for yourself from whatever brand you rep and have them for demo vs. stocking them to save and have something for people to look at?

I know a bunch of the shops do that with their high-end stuff so they carry the aspirational bike but not the overhead of having it unsold (or have a racer that rides out of their shop and they leave the race rig at the shop during the week...)

DH ain't cheap and we really don't have many options for it that are easy from CT or that are concentrated.

Check out Down Cycles in Montrose, NY... AJ has been part of the Northeast Gravity Scene for years and his shop still has some of the best gravity oriented stuff I've seen outside of the Mountain shops, but he still sells roadies and services everything...

[MOJO K]

From Powderidges site
We are sorry to announce that Powder Ridge will not be opening this year as originally expected, pending sale of the area.

Those that have recently ordered season passes should be advised that their orders have not been processed to their credit cards.

Yeah, I think that was posted 2008 or so. The town sold the property last year to a developer who hopes to open for skiing 2013-14. The bikerag link is to the thread communicating progress of the dh bike trails to the bike community. Vaughn has been a fixture on the scene for many years. If he's out there building trails, I want to ride them.

BIKERAG.COM FORUM • View topic - Powder Ridge MTB
BIKERAG.COM FORUM • View topic - Powder Ridge Update, 12/10/12

[Walt]

...that means you haven't run the numbers, found potential sites, done your homework on what sells and shops in the area, etc, etc.

So the answer is probably no. A bike shop is first and foremost a business and if you don't have experience running or managing a business, you need to educate yourself about those things. A lot of times the local chamber of commerce or community college will have some accounting and basic business classes. Go take those and forget about asking random strangers on the internet.

-Walt

Read thoroughly: Want to Start a Bike Shop? - National Bicycle Dealers Association

And be aware that those stats are no joke!

[Tracer650]

he hasn't said anything since starting this thread. I would assume he has all ready given up with all this solid advice.