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Harrell's Bicycle World / Bike Street USA, 2515 Broad River Road: 2014   4 comments

Posted at 1:30 am in closing

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I think I know who could ride this bike..

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Harrell's Bicycle World apparently sold out to Bike Street USA in 2014, but that operation, which also bought out Bike To Nature did not long survive the expansion, apparently liquidating in November of 2014. It appears the chain's main strategy was buying out local stores and then functioning as sort of an IGA for the bicycle market:

Pat Patregnani, an avid cyclist and the CEO of marketing advertising firm Zimmerman Advertising, founded BikeStreet USA in 2012 and launched into the market with an aggressive business plan, acquiring independent bicycle shops and rolling them up into its corporate structure. Under BikeStreet, the stores would benefit from leveraging technology like point of sale systems, inventory management and websites that would be handled by BikeStreet, as well as marketing and greater buying power from its larger scale. Former owners and managers would receive backend operational support, allowing them to focus on taking care of customers and servicing bikes.

Though unfortunately:

"BikeStreet was also founded by folks without multi-unit store experience," he said. "When you go from one shop and you're in there everyday and you can control everything. You have your eye on everything and then you go and own 17 locations, you have to have a different set of skills to manage 17 stores, 17 managers, 17 set of employees. That's just not suited for enthusiasts without multi-store experience," he added.

(Hat tip to commenter Aaron)

Written by ted on June 23rd, 2015

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4 Responses to 'Harrell's Bicycle World / Bike Street USA, 2515 Broad River Road: 2014'

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  1. Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2015 20:47:32 +0000
    Author: Andrew

    Comment:
    Next door to this is two vacant buildings with one being a former car wash that closed...after the car wash closed there was a building that housed something called Performance Automotive that used some of the car wash property for their stuff...The Perfrmance Automotive closed shortly before this one and I have this fantasy of the aforementioned trio of buildings getting razed and shoppes being built (or perhaps a church)...call me crazy but they can't stay vacant forever...

    Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2015 20:50:10 +0000
    Author: Rick

    Comment:
    @Ted - Okay, you got me.
    Who do you think could ride this bike?

    Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 03:29:49 +0000
    Author: Andrew

    Comment:
    All I can think of is some clown with stilts...

    Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 03:40:03 +0000
    Author: Homer

    Comment:
    If you had this bike and that huge rocking chair (was it from Good Wood?), now that would make for some conversation pieces!!

    Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 03:41:26 +0000
    Author: Homer

    Comment:
    @Andrew - yes they can, after all this is Broad River Road we're talking about.

    Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 04:35:26 +0000
    Author: Homer

    Comment:
    @ted - oops, I overlooked the link, but that's what I'm talking about!!!

    Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 15:10:44 +0000
    Author: Kevin

    Comment:
    Is this the location of the old Yarborough Bicycle World that I remember from the 70's?

    Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 20:34:49 +0000
    Author: O'Reilly

    Comment:
    Yarborough was down Broad River the other direction. If you turned right off of Bush River Rd onto Broad River heading towards Greystone; Yarborough was on left.

    Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:37:25 +0000
    Author: matt m

    Comment:
    This looks like it used to be some sort of restaurant.
    Maybe a steak chain like Western Sizzlin. Can anybody else
    see this resemblance?

    Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2015 00:36:12 +0000
    Author: badger

    Comment:
    It does look like some kind of 'family' steakhouse, but from what I can determine it has always been a bicycle shop as far back as the early 1980s.

    Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2015 13:59:42 +0000
    Author: Patricia R. Lewis

    Comment:
    This was also called Hawley's Bicycle Shop and hubby and I purchased a Tandem Bike there many years ago!

    We rode it for years all over Columbia and surrounding areas! Sesqui Park, Riverfront Canal, Finlay Park.

    I became pregnant about a year after we purchased "The Gemini" as we affectionately called our Tandem and we had
    to quit riding it! And now almost 20 years later, we still get out and ride it mostly on weekends!

    We take it to Cycle Center in 5 Points to be serviced as the Cycle Center at the Spring Valley Shopping Center(I always called the the Bi-Lo Shopping Center!) has been closed for quite some time!

    ted

    23 Jun 15 at 8:47 pm

  2. Next door to this was a Performance Automotive and another building that was originally a car wash...they had feature here but the posts have yet to be restored following the database crash but I'm noting that something new is being built on the site they once occupied (as details become apparent will advise accordingly)...

    Andrew

    16 Nov 15 at 11:08 pm

  3. Folks just as Family Dollar opens up next door to this I've noted that this property is under contract (stay tuned for updates as details progress)...

    Andrew

    24 Mar 16 at 9:15 pm

  4. Boost Mobile is now operational in this building...

    Andrew

    11 Sep 16 at 10:17 pm

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