Bicycle retailer Trek's flagship stores open

As much as I complain about car-centricity I realize how important such access is, and part of the reason that I am so strident is that it is so easy to be seduced by the car. Trek has been opening flagship stores that sell product but also promote the brand and lifestyle, just like a Niketown or Apple Store. (Also see "Turning Bike Shops into Bike Retailers."

From the Display and Design Ideas magazine e-newsletter:

The new concept store prototype for Trek Bicycle Corp., Waterloo, Wis., has opened in Westchester, Ohio, and a new Trek flagship in Chicago is scheduled to open in early 2006. Designed by Cowan+Associates, Worthington, Ohio, the stores aspire to represent the latest in bicycle retailing.

The concept is based on a series of shops within the store created to ease the customer's shopping experience. A stocking strategy was developed in order to open up the floor plan and provide clear sightlines to shops that are organized by customer segment and lifestyle. The design also includes a service shop, lounge areas, spacious fitting rooms, lifestyle graphics and tasteful finish palates that introduce some eco-friendly materials.

I don't understand why Mini, the Smart Car, Segway, Vespa and other city-friendly/friendlier mobility products don't create small urban dealerships in center cities. (The Trek store is in a suburban shopping center).

Mini on 8th Street SE, DC, at a Fourth of July parade. Sell them in the city!

In the spirit of the points made in the article "Turning Bike Shops into Bike retailers," we need to better market urban retail products that truly are practical solutions to urban, rather than suburban, needs and problems.

Vespa Dealership at 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC.

Index Keywords: bicycling; retail-innovation; transportation