What drives us?
The BICYCLE WORKSHOP is one of the oldest businesses in Tenafly, NJ. The business started in the ’70s in Closter and then opened its doors in Tenafly in the late ’70s. It later closed its doors in Closter to focus all of its attention on County Road in Tenafly where we still reside today. As the 5th owner of this Bergen County staple, we bought the shop because we love bikes and wanted to see this retail landmark stay in business and continue to serve the community.
Since taking over operations in 2013, the (retail) world has changed drastically. In a new world of online retail and Amazon Prime, convenience and competitive pricing often outweighs customer service and product knowledge and experience. With Amazon Prime, there are no risks with purchasing. If the product isn’t what you wanted or doesn’t fit, return it, and order the next size without talking to anyone. Buyer’s remorse is no longer an issue when there’s no human interaction and product returns are clicks away. The retail community is no longer the storekeeper, butcher, or grocer, but the anonymous Amazon Prime driver. This is the new reality for the majority of us. We are all busy and convenience is important.
With these changes in retail and community, our shop has had to adapt. At the BICYCLE WORKSHOP, our desire to better serve the community as just a local store has shifted into offering niche services, and products, and being advocates for more places to ride safely. Many of our customers drive 30-45 minutes and some sit in traffic to get to us. Our motto of #bikesdoneright has resonance for those who still cherish a quality live retail experience and haven’t been able to experience that closer to home. In addition, our push for local trail advocacy through Palisades MTB has hit home for many of our customers. Being the driving force behind an organization that is serving the community in a bigger way, is very important to our loyal shoppers. For us, it makes fighting for survival in a turbulent retail environment worthwhile. While the bike shop may not be here when our grandchildren are adults, the places we make for them to ride will most likely be. This is what we cherish most and this is what drives us.
We hope that you continue to support our business and our mission and get behind our new sense of community. We are here for you today and hope to continue to be here for years to come.
“Two Shops, one mission: To get more people riding bikes and make more places for you to ride them”