KALAMAZOO, MI — Doug Stevenson said the decision to keep the Alfred E. Bike cycle shop open boiled down to whether he and his wife wanted to re-invent the business after 45 years or not.
The thought of retirement and playing with their young grandson won out, he said.
He announced the closing of the store, which has long been at 320 E. Michigan Ave. in downtown Kalamazoo, on Thursday.
But many questions persist about what seems like a sudden end to a business that has been a fixture in the area cycling community for many years.
Stevenson, a former triathlete who has been an advocate of cycling, said both he and his wife Bernadine are in good health, the shop was not failing financially and they will continue to be active in the Kalamazoo community.
They are in their mid- and late-60s and their grandson, Kai, is about to be 6 months old.
“He probably will be our one and only grandchild,” Stevenson said, answering a series of questions via email Friday. “Not much else matters in our life right now, other than grooving on our adorable grandson. ”
Here are his answers to some other questions:
Question: Why close the store now?
Answer: “Just over a year ago we were approached by an investor/developer who was interested in buying a nice old building downtown. We went back and forth for several months, and in March 2016 we sold the real estate. We agreed to stay for one year. ”
Q: Was the business having financial troubles?
A: “While we were not getting rich in the bike business, we were not having financial trouble. Having owned our real estate for over 30 years, the reality of paying rent (if they chose to keep the business going at another location) required a complete change in our mindset. We considered many options: staying put, relocating somewhere else in Kalamazoo, or maybe downsizing our brick and mortar presence, focusing more on our e-commerce retail site.
“It boiled down to whether we wanted to re-invent our business after 45 years. I was up for it. I still love matching up bikes and people. But the thought of retirement and playing with Kai won out. ”
Q: With Thursday’s announcement, he said all his bikes had already been sold. How many bicycles were in the store’s inventory? What did you do with them? And over what time period?
A: “We had hundreds of bikes. We started clearance sales in November. It was really mild weather and customer demand for close-out bikes was very high. We also sold many, many bikes to Kzoo Swift. Ryan (Barber) at Kzoo Swift is a really good guy and we recommend his shop. ”
Q: Was there no one who wanted to buy the business and keep it open?
A: “We had some parties interested in purchasing the business. We were not highly motivated sellers. The bike shop has been our baby for 45-ish years and we could not come to terms with selling it. We were surprised and gratified at how well the clearance sale went. ”
Q: What is the difference in the business environment now and when you started back in the early 1970s?
A: “As far as differences in business environments, sure it is very different. But even though it is very competitive now, it was very competitive 45 years ago as well. Kalamazoo had a bunch of well-established bike shops, and Sears, Wards, and other mass marketers sold tons of bikes. These days there are still bike shops, still big box store bikes and e-commerce bikes and parts. So the more things change, the more they seem the same. ”
Q: How many employees did you have? (And are they finding jobs elsewhere?)
A: “Our staff all have plans, either jobs or academics. They are great and we have been blessed having a great staff these past few years. Over the years, we have had so many wonderful employees. ”
Q: Will you or your wife continue to work someplace else? And will you remain in the community?
A: “As for our immediate plans, Bernie has already been very active with her volunteer work. (By the way, the Friends Bookstore at the Kalamazoo Public Library may be downtown Kalamazoo’s best kept secret).
“Both of us plan on volunteering and trying to stay fit and healthy so we can enjoy Kai. We love southwest Michigan and hope to live here a long time.
“If there is one thing we will miss, it will be the many customers who became good buddies over the years. We both have loved getting to know so many great people. We still have customers (active!) who purchased bikes from us 42 or 43 years ago, who purchased bikes for their kids, and lately their grandkids. And they are still riding themselves. We sincerely appreciate the support the community has given us over the past 45 years. “
