Park Sales bicycle shop will close in May

[ron_newman]

Park Sales, Somerville's oldest bicycle shop at 510 Somerville Avenue, has STORE CLOSING and RETIREMENT SALE signs out front. Someone inside told me that the store will close at the end of May.

Comments

[kyriacarlisle.livejournal.com]

Drat. Anyone have recommendations for (hockey) skate sharpening? I won't miss the grouchiness that went with bringing my skates in for a sharpening, but the edges were worth it.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

Sigh... The fact that they couldn't sell the shop to a new owner means that bicycle shops don't make much money.

[ron_newman]

Or that he didn't try to sell it. Many new bicycle shops have opened in our area over the past few years, and I've heard another may soon come to Union Square.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

If he could have gotten good money for it, I expect that he would have. The question is why he couldn't have gotten good money for it. Perhaps the bulk of the value of the business is the stock (which could be sold to another shop) than the goodwill.

[ron_newman]

It's possible he (or the landlord) chose not to renew the lease, in which case there isn't a business to sell, only one to liquidate.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

chose not to renew the lease

Yeah, but that almost always means "someone else is willing to pay more for the space, and the current tenant (the bicycle shop) can't afford to pay that much", which pretty much means "a bicycle shop in that location can't afford to pay what the location costs".

[obie119.livejournal.com]

For skates, Sports Etc in Arlington Heights is very good, and about 439835740987 times friendlier than Park was (but is that hard? not really!)
It's down the street from me; I realise it's not necessarily convenient to everyone, but it is right on the 77 bus or the Minuteman Bikeway and you can get a cookie at Lakota Bakery for the ride home :)

[ron_newman]

That's probably very convenient to the Arlington skating rink, but not to the Somerville rink that's almost next door to Park Sales. ;-)

[kyriacarlisle.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I was burned by a bad sharpening job there, but it is my go-to place for equipment; it's probably worth giving them another chance. I agree: they're good people (and have never given me women-know-nothing-about-hockey attitude, which can't be said for some other places in the area Medford Square Pure Hockey).

[obie119.livejournal.com]

Like I mentioned above - not necessarily convenient, but they do a great job and are very friendly! I personally will go out of my way not to be snarled at or derided and almost refused service, which has been my experience at Park.
(besides, adult hockey ice times are not necessarily during times that normal stores are open, so being next to the rink isn't as useful as one might think!)

[masswich.livejournal.com]

It's just not a great space for a modern bike shop. Not big enough and too few windows to catch passers-by. I think it's a little hard to make a living running a bike store but not impossible. The newer ones are pretty different from the older school ones, though.