Feasibility of opening a bike shop in Erie (Lafayette: sales, living)

[dmandave]

Hello all! New to the forums here but they look like a great resource for many and thought I'd solicit some feedback on a topic I've been grappling with:

Essentially I've been putting together a business plan to open a small, local bicycle sales and repair shop in downtown Erie, Colorado where there's currently a whole lot of bike paths and even some newly built singletrack but no other shop available until you get into Lafayette. I guess I'm just nervous as to the feasibility of such an endeavor given that I've heard a few people referring to downtown Erie (Briggs Street) as a total ghosttown. But then again the past few weekends I've been down there it's pretty bustling thanks to the new sweets/coffee shop as well as the two new breweries.

Any thoughts?

[brown_dog_us]

Have you ever worked in a bike shop?

[Notakicker]

Erie is a haven for world class athletes. There is an Olympic gold medalist runner living there, professional cyclists, and even an Olympic speed skater. The growth is huge, projecting up to 75,000 people by 2040. The bike trails are okay for kids and there is a small mountain bike park. The velodrome is new. If you sell track bicycles, that could be popular. I see pro cyclists training on the country roads. They appear to do time trials around a ten mile loop. So you could definitely fill a niche. I would support your store.

[Eddyline]

Try to locate between the two brew pubs. There is something about beers and bikes!