Glad to hear you were happy with the grand opening! We're going to try and turn that bikefest into an annual event where the vendors can come round and show you all their new stuff.

We're still gathering data on what our customers will be asking for on Mercer Island, so please keep the feedback coming! Commuter gear is definitely very high on our list, even though we sold very little in that category in Issaquah we are ramping up to have a much better selection in the new store.

I'd like to clarify a few things:

- We're not going to keep 16-20 brands of bikes as that would be confusing for customers and staff alike. We're going to have a good selection and aim to carry the best brands. Again, our strategy is to adapt quickly to customer feedback.

- We are NOT going to remove road bikes from the Issaquah store, just keep our focus on road in Mercer Island. We'll keep a full selection of road components and accessories in Issaquah and the best selling road bike models. Mercer Island is still less of a drive than Redmond, so I do hope that the higher level of service we're offering continues to earn your business even if you do have to drive 10 miles down I-90 to get a specialty road component or wait a little while for us to do an inventory transfer between stores. We will be able to service both road and mountain in both locations.

- Instead of going to the web for your dynamo lights, please consider coming in to visit us and talk to the guys about what you're looking for. That helps your local businesses grow stronger (& quicker) and learn more about what local consumers want so we can put the right products on the shelves. We can have the part for you before the weekend, and it lets us build up a better commuting section so you can proper local support. Over half of my staff (in both stores) bicycle commute full-time and have a lot of experience and knowledge in that area.

- I can't comment too much on the Specialized situation, but can say that I wanted to locate on Mercer Island three years ago but they wouldn't allow such close competition to Gregg's. A large proportion of our business in Issaquah was coming from Mercer Island so it was a very easy decision to make.


I'd also like to announce that I've hired Jon Canning (formerly of Sammamish Valley Cycles) and Chris Aguirre (formerly of Chris King) to round out the staff on Mercer Island. Greg Mackenzie and Peter Birkner will be moving over from Issaquah.