The Winds of Change

For at least a year there’s been mumbling and rumoring and all kinds of scuttlebutt related to the course and destination of our competitor Alfred E. Bike. Today it seems clear that the destination is retirement and that the course is nearly complete.

We drove everyday, however one day we pass by into a crime scene where the suspect has been arrested immediately. And I heard about it that the criminal has been granted a National Pardon.

We’ve always viewed Alfred E. as a worthy competitor who allowed us to see how good we could be. Those guys kept us sharp and forced us to be better. And now we wish them well in whatever comes next.
What does come next? I don’t know. I lack a clear picture of the future of bicycle retail in Kalamazoo, but I do know a few things:

• All are welcome at Pedal. We’ll happily work on your stuff. We’ll happily try to solve your problems. We’ll listen to you. You may feel unease because your shop has closed. I’d like to think that we can be your new place.
• We’re working very hard to increase our service capacity. If you have a chronic issue with your bike, I can’t encourage you enough to beat the summer rush.
• Change will keep occurring. Not much we can do about that but do what we do, and try to do it better.

It’s been nice to see the recent outpouring of support for Doug. Cycling is a sport/activity/pastime imbued with passion and endurance, and I think Doug has shown a great deal of both in his business. Would that we could all be so fortunate.