So long Velo Cult!
07-26-18, 01:25 PM
#26
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Actually, there may have been more, but even on "event days" when they had a thousand people coming through the store, I doubt they sold a single bike.
@jyl was always trying to figure out how they could monetize their brand. They sold Velocult patches for a short period, then ran out. Velocult t-shirts were often not in stock except for a few odd sizes.
It also may well be that one is looking at the small picture when one needs to look at the big picture.
A $5 T-Shirt sale is nice, but one really needs somewhere between $1,000 & $10,000 in sales a day to stay afloat.
And, it may be that the internet allows the volume that the local store didn't.
07-26-18, 01:28 PM
#27
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Out here the building owner subdivided the building, an old Auto Dealership.
put in a door scheme to open up widely in the summer , for the Espresso/Bistro, built there ..
Keg Fridge in the Basement of the bike shop , which still has that space under It.
both are going OK, restaurant makes plenty..
put in a door scheme to open up widely in the summer , for the Espresso/Bistro, built there ..
Keg Fridge in the Basement of the bike shop , which still has that space under It.
both are going OK, restaurant makes plenty..
07-26-18, 01:46 PM
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That came to mind when I read this. I wonder if that stuff is being auctioned or put online. When there I could not take my eyes off the Odom hubs with heart cutouts.
07-26-18, 02:04 PM
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07-26-18, 03:07 PM
#31
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This is a very painful loss. VC made our Velocirque shows possible, was the start/end of many group rides, provided the recovery beverage after many a hard cold day in the hills, showed bike races on the big screen, fixed old and new bikes no matter how arcane the problem was. If you needed the special wrench for a Mavic headset, Sky would loan it to you free. Many friendships were made here.
VC was struggling with the city's zoning/code demands which steadily choked off the available revenue streams. If you ever wondered by VC didn't do eats in-house or serve cappuccinos, or why they stopped showing bike races and holding comedy nights in the basement theatre, that was the city issues.
Sky had a big vision that combined an LBS with a social venue, a coffeeshop, and a bar, and the large space was sized and built for that. When half of those revenue streams were closed down or blocked, the remaining revenue just couldn't support the space. If the bar's existence was threatened, there indeed would have been no point in continuing the fight. The fact that VC is closing so abruptly suggests to me that Sky's hand may have been forced. You normally wouldn't shut down a business in the middle of its high season.
There's more to it of course. If this or that had been done one way or the other, VC might have been able to hang on longer, but it might not have changed the end result.
Well, I'll be at the farewell party, and hopefully will stay in touch with Sky and Melodee, have them to my house for more holiday parties and hear how he'll bounce back. A few years ago, I bought the display piece that I most coveted (the NOS Look Bernard Hinault frameset than hangs in my living room, waiting patiently for its turn to be built up), but I know some other cool bikes on the wall and ceiling were for sale - the Merz, etc - so if you want to help Sky get his next thing going and pick up a memento of the best bikeshop most of us have ever hung out at, here's your chance.
Do you have pics of Velocirques past or simply of hanging out at VC? Why not post them in this thread, we'll preserve the shop's memory.
VC was struggling with the city's zoning/code demands which steadily choked off the available revenue streams. If you ever wondered by VC didn't do eats in-house or serve cappuccinos, or why they stopped showing bike races and holding comedy nights in the basement theatre, that was the city issues.
Sky had a big vision that combined an LBS with a social venue, a coffeeshop, and a bar, and the large space was sized and built for that. When half of those revenue streams were closed down or blocked, the remaining revenue just couldn't support the space. If the bar's existence was threatened, there indeed would have been no point in continuing the fight. The fact that VC is closing so abruptly suggests to me that Sky's hand may have been forced. You normally wouldn't shut down a business in the middle of its high season.
There's more to it of course. If this or that had been done one way or the other, VC might have been able to hang on longer, but it might not have changed the end result.
Well, I'll be at the farewell party, and hopefully will stay in touch with Sky and Melodee, have them to my house for more holiday parties and hear how he'll bounce back. A few years ago, I bought the display piece that I most coveted (the NOS Look Bernard Hinault frameset than hangs in my living room, waiting patiently for its turn to be built up), but I know some other cool bikes on the wall and ceiling were for sale - the Merz, etc - so if you want to help Sky get his next thing going and pick up a memento of the best bikeshop most of us have ever hung out at, here's your chance.
Do you have pics of Velocirques past or simply of hanging out at VC? Why not post them in this thread, we'll preserve the shop's memory.
Last edited by jyl; 07-26-18 at 08:09 PM.
07-26-18, 04:13 PM
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Starting with the first show, before it was called Velocirque, I think you called it "C&V show and shine" or some such thing in June 2016.
The first "Velocirque" in November 2016.
June 2017
February 2018
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07-26-18, 04:17 PM
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June 2018
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07-26-18, 04:31 PM
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I can only find one pre-cirque ride pic at the moment.
I count no fewer than 12 Bike Forum members in my pictures, most (if not all) of whom I met in person for the first time at Velo Cult.
I count no fewer than 12 Bike Forum members in my pictures, most (if not all) of whom I met in person for the first time at Velo Cult.
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07-26-18, 04:32 PM
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I wonder if there are issues with having mechanics (non food servers) preparing and serving food.
I was only in there on event days, but the place was spotless. Still, there could be complaints that a bike shop theoretically could be a grungy non-food friendly place, like putting a bar in the middle of a machine shop. Not that velocult resembled a machine shop.
Portland does like its food carts. It is hard to think a fixed bar could be any worse than an open air food cart. One should be able to do a mini bar inside (many stores have done that, such as Starbucks or Subway inside another store). But, it is quite likely they have some physical separation between the food service part and the rest of the store.
And, of course, the state gets quite picky about alcohol too.
Somehow people regularly get food borne illnesses from restaurants and stores, yet, I'm not convinced our modern food regulations fix the issues.
How long can one really let cooked pizza sit out and it is still good?
Maybe one could sell bike parts plus some green weed.
I was only in there on event days, but the place was spotless. Still, there could be complaints that a bike shop theoretically could be a grungy non-food friendly place, like putting a bar in the middle of a machine shop. Not that velocult resembled a machine shop.
Portland does like its food carts. It is hard to think a fixed bar could be any worse than an open air food cart. One should be able to do a mini bar inside (many stores have done that, such as Starbucks or Subway inside another store). But, it is quite likely they have some physical separation between the food service part and the rest of the store.
And, of course, the state gets quite picky about alcohol too.
Somehow people regularly get food borne illnesses from restaurants and stores, yet, I'm not convinced our modern food regulations fix the issues.
How long can one really let cooked pizza sit out and it is still good?
Maybe one could sell bike parts plus some green weed.
07-26-18, 04:53 PM
#37
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I first visited VC when I popped down to spend a couple days catching up with a retired Navy pal of mine who is big into cycling and he took me there. It was part of the Portland cycling experience as one of the main events of that weekend was also the NAHBS. I met up with a couple/three BF members at the same time. I've been back two or three times. Here are a few shots from October 2011.
L to R: Me, my Navy buddy Fred, Andy, John (jyl), TJ and Andy (AndyCapp):
General view:
Basement theater:
Basement photo studio:
Rene Herse and BF member AndyCapp:
DD
L to R: Me, my Navy buddy Fred, Andy, John (jyl), TJ and Andy (AndyCapp):
General view:
Basement theater:
Basement photo studio:
Rene Herse and BF member AndyCapp:
DD
07-26-18, 05:48 PM
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I wonder if there are issues with having mechanics (non food servers) preparing and serving food.
I was only in there on event days, but the place was spotless. Still, there could be complaints that a bike shop theoretically could be a grungy non-food friendly place, like putting a bar in the middle of a machine shop. Not that velocult resembled a machine shop.
Portland does like its food carts. It is hard to think a fixed bar could be any worse than an open air food cart. One should be able to do a mini bar inside (many stores have done that, such as Starbucks or Subway inside another store). But, it is quite likely they have some physical separation between the food service part and the rest of the store.
And, of course, the state gets quite picky about alcohol too.
Somehow people regularly get food borne illnesses from restaurants and stores, yet, I'm not convinced our modern food regulations fix the issues.
How long can one really let cooked pizza sit out and it is still good?
Maybe one could sell bike parts plus some green weed.
I was only in there on event days, but the place was spotless. Still, there could be complaints that a bike shop theoretically could be a grungy non-food friendly place, like putting a bar in the middle of a machine shop. Not that velocult resembled a machine shop.
Portland does like its food carts. It is hard to think a fixed bar could be any worse than an open air food cart. One should be able to do a mini bar inside (many stores have done that, such as Starbucks or Subway inside another store). But, it is quite likely they have some physical separation between the food service part and the rest of the store.
And, of course, the state gets quite picky about alcohol too.
Somehow people regularly get food borne illnesses from restaurants and stores, yet, I'm not convinced our modern food regulations fix the issues.
How long can one really let cooked pizza sit out and it is still good?
Maybe one could sell bike parts plus some green weed.
Think nightclub.
A dangerous food I can think of; Supermarket rotisserie Chicken under warming lights...
07-26-18, 06:04 PM
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Basements, of course, often have egress issues which are hard to deal with. Half window exits?
Perhaps there were issues with a large floor space, but realistically, only half the space was ever usable. And, with a bike show, bikes took up about 1/3 of the remaining space. So, square foot based requirements should apply to a fraction of their total space.
@jyl
Is it possible for you to get actual details about what drove the nails into the coffin & perhaps ideas of what would be required to stay in business (if that is even possible now).
Perhaps we could start a letter writing campaign to city officials discussing whether or not the "issues" are important to the customers, and the appropriateness of damaging local small businesses.
07-26-18, 06:07 PM
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Ahhh....
Maybe a basement microbrew.
Maybe a basement microbrew.
07-26-18, 06:09 PM
#41
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Bryce and Sky opened the doors at 8am for a group of 8 riding out to the 2016 un-meeting in Carson, Washington:
Big Red at the 2016 Show and Shine
@BicycleKitty at a 2015 pre-ride
Like @Andy_K, I met a lot of BF C&V friends at VeloCult, then others through them. It was a magnet for us.
This will be our Camelot. Years from now some of the younger C&Ver's will tell the tales of this place, I'm wondering who will believe it existed. If I had a dollar for every person I've met who said they'd thought of the idea that Sky pulled off, well, I'd own a couple more bikes.
Big Red at the 2016 Show and Shine
@BicycleKitty at a 2015 pre-ride
Like @Andy_K, I met a lot of BF C&V friends at VeloCult, then others through them. It was a magnet for us.
This will be our Camelot. Years from now some of the younger C&Ver's will tell the tales of this place, I'm wondering who will believe it existed. If I had a dollar for every person I've met who said they'd thought of the idea that Sky pulled off, well, I'd own a couple more bikes.
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07-26-18, 06:44 PM
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Alas, change is the law of life. I was sad when Sky moved from SD to PDX, and I'm sad now, but I'm glad I got to see Sky happy in his Portland location before this happened.
It's going to be interesting to watch this crisis unfold. People are still going to have to get their bikes fixed.
It's going to be interesting to watch this crisis unfold. People are still going to have to get their bikes fixed.
07-26-18, 07:56 PM
#43
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I am! Ogling it mostly but definitely enjoying it.
Here's another pic I was trying to post earlier... (taken in 2010)
3 rensho by cyclotourist, on Flickr
And another... (taken in 2010 as well)
Step Inside the Velo Cult by John watson, on Flickr
And a few from CV6 from 2008 apparently, hope he doesn't mind me linking to his photos on Flickr...
https://flic.kr/p/bwDcrP
https://flic.kr/p/bwDcmg
https://flic.kr/p/bwDaZT
07-26-18, 08:20 PM
#44
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Dropped by today on my way home from work. Bunch of regulars watching the Tour and drinking beer. Everyone had heard the news so they were drinking in the experience as well as the beer. There were little kids playing with blocks, Sky's little boys were hanging out at the bike shop where they grew up, I ran into several people I know from hanging around at the shop, just another chill afternoon at Velocult, for another two days.
Well, a little longer, sort of. Sky told me they'll be liquidating fixtures, merch, etc through August and will be open until the last bar stool is gone. So there will be some more beers at the Cult.
Well, a little longer, sort of. Sky told me they'll be liquidating fixtures, merch, etc through August and will be open until the last bar stool is gone. So there will be some more beers at the Cult.
07-26-18, 09:57 PM
#45
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Hmmm... Gugie, would you consider moving the August 11th ride to Velo Cult? One last ride for old time's sake? I was thinking we could go south to Sellwood, east a bit, then back up and over Mt. Tabor.
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07-26-18, 11:48 PM
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I stopped by this shop shortly after they first opened and several times after. I liked the idea of a shop that they were trying to promote but that never seemed to translate to my experience there. The staff was always polite but never friendly when I visited. Maybe if I had more tats or piercings I would have been more warmly received. That may be a Portland thing though! I am an avid buyer when in a good shop but always left empty handed and somewhat disappointed from my visits there. I dunno, maybe its just me but I can't help but feeling that I wasn't cool enough to shop there. Apparently you cannot alienate some of your customers and still be economically viable. That said, I'm sorry to see them go.
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07-27-18, 12:12 AM
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Hmmm... Gugie, would you consider moving the August 11th ride to Velo Cult? One last ride for old time's sake? I was thinking we could go south to Sellwood, east a bit, then back up and over Mt. Tabor.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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07-27-18, 12:52 AM
#48
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I stopped by this shop shortly after they first opened and several times after. I liked the idea of a shop that they were trying to promote but that never seemed to translate to my experience there. The staff was always polite but never friendly when I visited. Maybe if I had more tats or piercings I would have been more warmly received. That may be a Portland thing though! I am an avid buyer when in a good shop but always left empty handed and somewhat disappointed from my visits there. I dunno, maybe its just me but I can't help but feeling that I wasn't cool enough to shop there.
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07-27-18, 12:54 AM
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07-27-18, 01:06 AM
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