retro bike/steel frame/cafe, shop..opinions?

[hurin76]

Hi everyone, I have been into retro mtbs and old school steel for a while now and I have the opportunity to turn it into some kind of full time job. I have plans to open a retro style bike shop with a cafe and lifestyle items also being stocked in London. I just thought I would canvas everyone to there feelings about this? Could it be a success? What direction I should take it, etc

the feel of the place will be clean lines in the bike showroom area. Much like an exhibition space. The coffee shop side will have some more character with bike related memorabilia on the walls etc..

I guess it will be an amalgamation of velorution, condor cycles and arrowbicycles in Japan. With a more kinda relaxed coffee shop attached serving good quality sandwiches, cake, coffee, tea, breakfast etc...

Unfortunately someone has already done this idea in the broadway market area of east London, but I recently went in there and it appears to be a coffee shop with a few old clunkers strategically placed and a bike mechanic in the middle of the serving area.With respect to them I want to do something a little more professional...

here is some links of the feel I want..

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate ... 26hs%3Dp8R

http://www.condorcycles.com/classicopista.html

feel free to give me some opinions..as long as they are constructive!!

 

[Defiant]

if that is what your heart is,..jump on the bike and follow it,...

 

[Russell]

Mud Dock in Bristol is nearly there, great cafe with a good bike shop below it.

 

[ChrisG]

I'll second that Mud Dock in Bristol is a great place. If you do somthing like that on a retro theme I think it will be amazing!

 

[hurin76]

mud dock

just looked up mud dock..looks great!!...

 

[al]

Sounds like a plan to me!


May i surgest you open such a business a little further west.

Penzance would be ideal for me.


Cheers,Al

 

[theboy]

two quite different businesses there, the catering/hospitality side and the bike/sales side. it might be tricky to combine the two... some people would say that a lot of bike shop owners/workers arent terribly hospitable

two things spring to mind immediately though - Make sure you have excellent coffee suppliers, a great machine and trained Barista's, and two, instead of forking out money on bikes for 'stock' to sell on, why not see how many local(ish) people would allow you to hang their pride and joy in the shop to show it off (and give your customers something nice to look at/aspire to)