Bicycle News
Brave bicycle shop in Dallas' Deep Ellum closes after four years
After four years of helping to make Dallas a more sustainable place, Local Hub Bicycle Company, the bike shop in Deep Ellum, has decided it's time to close.
Owner Kristie Holt confirmed that the shop will close in December, exactly four years after opening in December 2015.
"I opened Local Hub because of my passion for getting more people on bikes and making Dallas a better city for riding bikes," Holt says. "I'm proud of what we have accomplished and the permanent positive impact it's made on Dallas."
Local Hub really has been a true community endeavor that has gotten thousands of people on bikes and helped make Dallas a more-bike friendly city, against the odds of a populace that often seems resistant to the idea of alternate transportation.
"The bike industry is tumultuous and we just haven't been profitable enough for it to be sustainable," Holt says.
One major factor affecting Local Hub's survival was the bikesharing phenomenon which entered Dallas in 2017.
"Bikesharing really hurt us," she says. "We were actually growing — but once they came in, we saw our business drop by 40 percent. And despite the fact that bike share went away, we never got our customers back."
Dallas remains a work in progress when it comes to sustainability issues, with many people still entrenched in a car-centric mentality — one that can be seen in their ungrateful, petulant, tiny-baby reactions to alternative transportation modes such as bike-sharing and scooters, evident in behavior such as dismantling them and throwing them into the Trinity River.
"I can't tell you that one thing caused it," Holt says. "It was a combination of a few things. I tried to make it work in any possible way I could, because I care about people and getting my community on bikes."
Meanwhile, it's sale sale sale, and everything must go.
Bikes in stock are 15 percent off. Accessories, parts, and clothing are 25 percent off. Tools, fixtures, and furniture are priced accordingly.
They also have two Kona Rove Gravel rental bikes for sale, $650 a pop.
Discounts will get deeper as they approach their last day, currently estimated to be December 22, although it could be sooner, depending on what's left. They're also selling fixtures including shelving, computers, and display tables.
Beginning December 2, they'll change their hours to Wednesday-Saturday 10 am-7 pm, and Sunday 12 pm-6 pm.
Beginning December 15, they'll stop taking in bikes for tune-ups and repair work, although they'll do quick fixes until their last day - "as long as we have tools and parts in the store," Holt says.
She counts off some of things she feels most proud about, including building a book bike for the Dallas Public Library.
"It lets the library go out and set up events for people who wouldn't otherwise have access," she says. "We sold 16 bikes to the city of Austin for their mountain bike program for young adults. And something else cool we've done is help an entrepreneur in Dallas who donates bikes to the Dallas Police Department."
"If we can make people's day a little brighter, that's what kept me coming here — knowing we are making difference," she says.
