According to Neale Pickett, Caballo rolled up the tent and left.
This town has always been tough on small business, but a bike shop competing with the big dogs in Santa Fe has been a tough order, at least in the seven years I've lived here. A bike shop needs a lot of (expensive) floor space and good location to show their wares. And this is a small market quite willing to flee the hill on weekends just for a change in scenery.
Wonder how the Trinity Site will fare on startup businesses with bank loans being harder to find than hen's teeth.
Aloha, Joel, and good luck.
Speaking of small businesses, gotta pick up some coffee today over at our own microroaster, The Coffee Booth.
10 comments:
I really like Joel and wish him well. However, don't place all the blame on business competition for the business failure. Catching the shop open was a hit and miss proposition at best.
I noticed that too, Anon, and walked away from an unexpectedly closed shop a few times.
But he's the third outfit to go belly up since I've been here (following in the footsteps of Dome and Oz). Maybe if business was better, the store would have been open more. I don't know.
Wonder what Bike Doc will do to pick up the business.
Bike Doc doesn't have to do anything to pick up business. He's got a great location, a local monopoly, and a business climate that promotes the increased use of bikes. If he keeps his personality in check he'll be rich.
I don't buy the argument that a business cannot succeed here. You can't heap Caballo in with the other failures. He simply did not keep regular hours. The mere fact the Bike Doc is part of this conversation means a business can succeed here. It's all about finding the niche and making it work.
Bike Doc keeps regular hours and all the rest. His other advantage is that he is not attempting to run a full service bike shop--going to your comment about finding the right niche. Not sure what his rent is, but the overhead can't be as bad when working out of your garage.
As you say, having good location and a corner on the market, business should come to him.
Greetings Fellow Bikers!
Just a clarification, The DOME still exists and Scott Beguin is happily serving the local biker clientele. He operates on a by-apointment basis. Having just recently returned from the large bicycle trade show Interbike, Scott has checked out all the new gadgetry, participated in a variety of manufacturers' clinics to get up to speed on new technologies, and has consequently gained a fresh perspective on his business.
He is in the process of starting a Blog dedicated to local and regional bike and service issues: http://domecyclelab.blogspot.com/
And just in case the idea of appointment-only bike shops seems strange, it appears that the DOME is simply cutting edge...The cover of October's Bicycling Magazine had the headline: "The Rise of the Appointment-Only Bike Shop" a piece of the article is here: http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s-1-2-14792-1,00.html
Happy Cycling!
Kristi B.
Hi Kristi! Hey, that's awesome that the Dome is still open! Thanks for posting about that!! (Now I know who I can hit up for participating in Bike to Work Day!)
Amy (from MIM!)
Kristi, I'll add a link. I'll do the same for Bike Doc if he has a web site.
I have tried both the Dome and the Bike Doc...
The Bike Doc, who in fact is a concert level pianist, has a definite different personality but is quite a nice person and direct with his business and very honest and maybe is just a bit mis-understood in that he is also a Harley rider...
This person has an edge on service from being a former racing tech and his work is extraordinary!
I would not go anywhere else.
I would give this business the BEST of LOS ALAMOS and probably the best in the state!
I just found out that the bike doc is offering a two for one special for all his clients that have had their bikes in for service for the month of October. I would think that anyone else that would like to have this happen can call him and being as nice as he is, will probably say ok...
thanks......
the bike doc has just saved me...I had a flat on Jemez and called him. He proceeded to drive over and get me. when we went back to his shop, he made sure that my bike was safe and found something that another shop had made a mistake in, it was one of the brake pads that had been installed and rubbing against the tire..he also made sure that i understood how important this was and showed me how to check my bike for future problems...and then made it safe again....it needed some TLC and he did this in record time and perfectly...he looked like a seasoned professor while he worked and I was very impressed...no charge for the time and effort to save me on the road...he charged for the repair of course but nothing else...I hope that he stays in town for a long time..
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