Some news from Champaign Cycle, as they have announced they’re closing the Urbana location at the end of 2015. The shop opened in Downtown Urbana in March 2014.
Here’s some information they sent out in an email blast:
Why we are closing our Urbana shop. (Champaign remains healthy and open)
The Urbana shop was an experiment for us. We were curious as to how a small urban shop would work in C-U. We wanted to see if there was enough demand for a shop which focused more on utilitarian bikes which people used as an integral part of their lives. We figured that a downtown location would work best. We were looking for a location when we found the space at 110 S. Race. I have admired the Knowlton-Bennett building for 45 years and when I saw the interior I was sold. We had concerns about there being no immediate parking and whether we could draw customers to a downtown location, but we wanted to try
We began work on the shop Jan. 1, 2014. We spent 2 1/2 months restoring the interior and preparing it as a bike shop. We did considerable woodwork restoration and duplication to preserve the original design. If you haven’t visited the shop you should stop by to see what a great space it is. We’re proud of the work we did and leaving it better place than we found.
People often say to me “It must be great to be your own boss”, and it is. But it is also a situation where you work for your employees, your landlord, your suppliers, the utilities companies, insurance, etc., etc. etc. They all get paid before you do. So you need a certain level of sales just to stay open. We did not achieve that level of sales at Urbana.
So we will continue our successful business at our Champaign shop where we have been for almost 47 years. We will continue to provide the same products and services. We will continue to support the cycling community, and we will continue to work work for better cycling facilities such as the Kickapoo Rail Trail. Please stop by the Champaign shop when you need cycling equipment..
They’re having an inventory reduction sale:
Urbana Location Closing – Dec. 31, 2015
Inventory Reduction Sale – Everything On Sale
HOURS: Mon – Fri 10am – 6pm | Sat 10am – 5pmEverything at the Urbana location is on sale. There are some crazy prices there and we will not be restocking anything. It’s a first come, first served sale only at the Urbana location. Those items will not be on sale at the Champaign shop. So get in early to get the best deals. Sale ends 12/31/2015.
Check out Rebecah’s article from last summer on Champaign Cycle here.
Top photo by Sam Logan.