While biking the West Side recently, I got a flat tire. Therefore, I walked my bike over to Campus WheelWorks on Niagara to replace the classic whitewall tire. Shop owner Ethan Johnson told me that they probably had the tire that I as looking for at their Elmwood Location. Luckily, I ended up hitching a ride to Elmwood in the shop van.
Upon arrival to the Elmwood shop, I noticed that there was a ton of remodeling work underway. As I examined the renovation work, I realized that they had taken over the former Fowler’s Chocolates location. The new supersized retail space was remarkable, even though it was nowhere close to being finished.
A couple of weeks later, I returned to the Elmwood location to see the almost-finished product. I couldn’t believe the dramatic transformation. Campus WheelWorks on Elmwood (the original location) was alway a nice place, but now it was a real contender. The impressive selection of bikes and gear was nicely displayed for ease of viewing.
Now, one might think that with the addition of the new Niagara Street bike shop, an expansion on Elmwood Avenue would not be top of mind. But when Ethan heard the news that Fowler’s was packing up, he felt that this was an opportunity that he might not ever be presented again. In fact, there was a time, years ago, when he missed out on a similar opportunity. Kicking himself for letting it slip through his hands, he figured that he had to strike while the iron was hot.
That’s exactly what he did.
“In our busier season, the store has always been too small, too narrow, with pinch-points,” said Ethan, who owns the shop with Michael DeLano and Alex Davies. “It wasn’t welcoming. We wanted an open atmosphere, being a community bike shop. We needed space for people to shop, so that they weren’t tripping over each other. During the pandemic that became even more clear. There was no way to social distance. We were thinking of the future, and how people think about personal space. The expanded area also gives us a chance to display more merchandise on the showroom floor, instead of storing it in the back warehouse. With the added room, and the Niagara Street location, we have more purchasing power as well. And don’t forget, with the added rent, there is a need for increased sales. Now we can have three or four different sales conversations at the same time.”
Along with more space for merchandise and customers, the buildout allowed for a new bathroom for customers and staff. A new dedicated service counter was also installed. Previous to that, “…everything was considered a service counter,” said Ethan [laughing].
Selling bikes is one thing. Selling cycling is another. In order to get more people riding bikes, enhanced bike culture initiatives must be embraced by local decision makers, according to Ethan. To that end, he’s working with George Johnson (East Side Bike Club) and Simon Husted (Reddy Bikeshare) to start an inclusive Buffalo Bike Coalition. The Coalition is in its beginning stages at the moment. At the same time, there are big plans for the group. The group intends to demonstrate that there is a real need for bike infrastructure in Buffalo beyond what we have now.
“Paint doesn’t protect cyclists,” said Ethan, referring to painted bike lanes and sharrows. “We need dedicated lanes like you see on Niagara Street. More and more cyclists use bikes for transportation, not just for recreation. There are lots of tax-paying commuters. One of our former employees has super traumatic injuries from a bike accident. A woman was killed in that same accident. When people decide to move to Buffalo or not, they look at how safe it is to get around by bike. Better bike infrastructure can happen. It should happen. We are working together to get it done.”
Campus WheelWorks | 744 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222 | (716) 881-3613