One week after District Hardware and Bike shuttered for good, another independent D.C. bike shop is closing down.
The Bike Rack, on Q Street Northwest in the Logan Circle neighborhood, announced Friday that it鈥檚 going out of business.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very bittersweet,鈥� said owner Chuck Harney, who opened the store in 2007. 鈥淚t鈥檚 bitter because, you know, we built this from the ground up. The staff I have now has been with me for many years.鈥�
The news comes less than a week after District Hardware and Bike suddenly closed on Small Business Saturday, posting on their website that 鈥渢hings haven鈥檛 worked out the way we thought or planned and we are unable to continue operating.鈥�
So what sunk The Bike Rack? Harney said a combination of factors led to his decision to close.
鈥淏ack in 2015, we opened a shop in Brookland, and that shop 鈥� the foot traffic never came.鈥� That location was closed in June, and left Harney with a large amount of debt. His hope was that the Q Street shop would pick up the slack, but that didn鈥檛 happen.
Harney said that was just one factor that left his shop struggling. Changes in retail buying habits led to a drop in bike sales.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you how many people would come in, and I鈥檇 see them come in with their phones, and I knew exactly what they were doing,” said Harney. “They were looking up the product and looking if they could get it cheaper.鈥�
Harney said over the years he saw an increasing number of 鈥渋nternet-bought bikes鈥� brought in for service, though the ability for customers to go online for their bikes wasn鈥檛 the only pressure on sales.
鈥淵ou combine that with a new shared economy, where people are using the scooters and the bikeshare and the Ubers, so the demand for bicycles has gone down tremendously,鈥� He said. Instead of sales, servicing bikes took over as the moneymaker for small shops like his.
But Harney said there is a bright side to the story: Another bike retailer will occupy his store.
Harney wasn鈥檛 at liberty to say just who that will be, but he did say he was contacted by a business about two months ago, wondering if he鈥檇 ever want to sell. The timing, he said, was right.
So customers won鈥檛 lose a bike shop in their neighborhood, but what about the staff? 鈥淭he staff has been given the opportunity to stay,鈥� said Harney.
Referring to the new buyer, Harney said, 鈥淭hey really want to retain the local culture of the shop.鈥� He may continue to work with the new shop in some capacity as well, he said, including leading community rides.
