Test The Best

Here comes another opportunity to "Try it before you buy it". We certainly understand that it's tough to throw down hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a bike that you've ridden around the block once or twice. Because of this we've done our best to work with our suppliers and get them to come out and give people a chance to test ride bikes in real world conditions. Earlier this season Trek came out with their "Ride the Best" tour and now Specialized is here with their "Test the Best" tour. Now, we won't get into any discussion about who's product is "the Best", all we know is that this is a great opportunity for people to really get out and ride the bikes.

The Test the Best program comes to your neighborhood to give you a
chance to test ride a wide array of mountain bikes, road bikes, and
equipment. You provide the desire to ride and we'll provide everything
else. Our highly educated Demo Team will be there to answer any
questions and better inform you about the Specialized product line.

Here are the details for the Specialized "Test the Best" event:

• May 10 and 11th: Dirt and Road demo at St. Edwards Park in Kenmore, WA
• May 17th: Women's Specific Product Demo at Gregg's Greenlake Cycle

Tom Yum Noodle soup and othe staff favorites

For the last few months I've been slowly updating the employee profile section of greggscycles.com. It has been a bit of a slow job but very interesting. Having been here for a number of years I've seen a lot of employees come and go. It seems that every time I meet someone new, if they ask where I work, they'll ask me if I knew so and so who worked at Gregg's years ago. I guess if a company has been around for 75 years and I've been here for 1/10th of that (maybe a little more) that'll happen. Usually I can remember the person or at least the name. Well, since I've been adding to the employee profiles I've been learning all kinds of great stuff about our employees.

Adam likes to "Ride it like you stole it", Brian used to own his own painting company, Garrett was raised by a pack of wolves and John is a real composer! With over 100 employees in three stores we've got a bit of everything.

I'm still working on it and there are a lot more people that I need to get up. I've got a good number of the Greenlake employees up and a fair number of Bellevue employees but nothing from Alderwood just yet. So check back once in a while and see who the new gal or guy is, and if you want to leave a little note for them. After all, our people make us great!

Powered by ScribeFire.

Our People Make us Great

In my last post I talked about the big changes going on with Gregg's Cycle going forward. We received just a couple of comments on the post and the first one was a touch critical. Now, I wouldn't put it out there if I didn't want to hear criticism. As is the case with most blogs, I welcome all feedback positive and negative. This particular comment mentioned the soul of our business and the the soul of the building, specifically the Bellevue Store. I understand that many of us like the idea of an old, cramped, wood floored bike shop with cool old bikes hanging from the ceiling and the smell of chain oil. In fact I remember being disappointed when R.E.I moved from it's old location on Capital Hill to it's new "Flagship" location, I think I even mentioned to a friend that it might have "lost it's soul". But the truth is that a building is a building and the soul of the business comes from it's people. And we have the best people in the industry.

Along with 100's of years of combined experience in the bike business our employees support cycling on a local and regional level, come to work every day ready answer questions, turn wrenches, find random parts and generally help people have fun doing what we all consider to be the best activity around, riding a bike. We've been doing this for 75 years. Buildings will come and go but the soul Gregg's Cycle will remain intact because of the people that choose to work here.

Changing with the Times

2007 has been a year of change for Gregg's Cycle. In about 18 months we've built a new store in Bellevue, moved our Aurora store to Lynnwood and renovated the Greenlake store. It's been rough for everyone involved, employees and customers alike. We are, however, very excited about the improvements to our stores. The changes that we have made will enable us to provide outstanding customer service as every store is now much more efficient in it's use of space and storage.

Gregg's Cycle has a long history and we continue to work to improve our stores and live up to our mission statement of being the specialty retailer of choice for the cycling consumer. It is with this mission in mind that we've made some changes, specifically at the Greenlake store. Some of the changes are still up in the air (more info to come) but there are two major changes that should be mentioned. We will no longer be doing rentals of bicycles or inline skates and we will no longer be selling inline skates.

Through much discussion we have decided to focus on what we do best; selling bikes and the clothing, accessories and parts that accompany them. As our mission states, we want to be the retailer of choice for the cycling consumer. With the decision to drop inline skates from our product mix we will be better able to dedicate resources to bicycles and everything that goes with being the premier bike shop in the Northwest. In our new configuration we did not believe that we would be able to serve the inline skate customer efficiently or effectively and continue to offer the "Gregg's" standard of service that people have come to expect. The inline skate market has been very good for us over the last 15 years or so. We've enjoyed serving the inline skate community over the years and wish to thank the thousands of people that have come to our store to meet their inline skating needs.

Discontinuing rentals was a tough decision to come to as we've been a rental shop, off and on, for the entirety of our history. For 75 years Gregg's Greenlake has been the place to go to rent a bike for a ride around the lake or even a motorcycle if you go back long enough. But times are changing and while rentals has been a fun part of our business in the last few years the time has come to once again focus on the core of our business. Once the dust settles we may look at bringing back a rental department to Gregg's Greenlake as we understand that renting a bike at Greenlake has a special place in many people's hearts.

To be as successful as we have been for 75 years takes a lot of work and commitment to cycling. We believe that these decisions, while difficult, will enable us to further commit to our passion, which is cycling. Gregg's Cycle is committed to the people on whom our company relies: our customers, our staff and those who provide goods and services to us. We believe we can best serve this commitment by focusing on what we do best.

Tell Us Your First Bike Story

Part of the joy of working for Gregg's Cycle is that it has been around for 75 years. I can't tell you how many times I've been talking with someone at an event, or a party or where ever and had the person I was talking about tell me that they remember when they bought their first bike at Gregg's Greenlake Cycle. Sometimes it was just a few years ago but often it was 25 years ago or 50 or even 60 years ago. My own Grandmother tells me about when you used to come down to Greenlake to rent skates from us when she was a kid. It seems that almost everyone remembers their first bike and the stories are always great.

I'd love to hear more of them. So use the comments field below and tell us your first bike story.

The Ultimate Ride Comes to Greenlake

The Trek Ultimate Ride has come to us! Dax and Kurt from Trek drove in this morning in the "Ride the Best" truck to give our employees a day long clinic on the new EX trail bikes and the new 2008 Madones.

Both bikes are radically different then the 2007 models that they are replacing so a little extra knowledge is needed to sell them effectively. We want to make sure that we get our customers on the best bike for them so we have to know as much as we possibly can about each bike.

Trek does a great job makeing sure that our employees understand the new technology. We need to learn how to size these bikes correctly and also we need to get out and ride them.

The 2008 Madone has created a huge amount of buzz this summer. We recieved ten of them earlier in the summer and sold them all in about 8 days. So far people have loved this bike and we already have orders for a few more Madones. We do have a few in stock right now in the triple configuration but they are sure to go fast.

All Under One Roof!

We've done it! It's taken a while and it's not completely done just yet but we're all under one roof again. No need to walk up the street to a temporary service department. No need to walk around the store to find an open door. We're now open for business in the Greenlake Service Department. Thank you all for your patience during our remodel.

The new service area is operational. We're still organizing and setting things up but we are fully operational and ready to go! Bring your bike into the huge automatic sliding doors on the east side of the building and check your bike into service. We'll make an appointment for you or do any "instant" work you need done. If you do make appointment we'll whisk your bike...

Upstairs where all the real service work is done. This way our service technicians can take care of your bike with little distraction and all the space they need. When you come back to pick it up we'll run up stairs (or take the elevator) and grab your bike off of the...

hanging racks in our second floor warehouse and bring it right down to you. No more having to run up the street to the warehouse or searching for your bike. We're looking forward to being able to service our customers much more quickly than in the past.

Come in and check it out. There is still more to be done so stay tuned!

Construction in Greenlake

Now that our project is just about done and things are starting to get back to normal for us, a look around the neighborhood shows that the Greenlake area is changing quite a bit. Gregg's has been right here at the same spot for 75 years now but it looks like some others have finally caught on to what a great place Greenlake is. While construction always disrupts the area, we're really excited about the growth around the Greenlake and welcome all the new construction and new people in the area. Below you'll find some pictures of some of the other construction going on in the area.

This is the Florera. As their website says, "it’s a place where eco-friendly design meets luxurious lakeside accommodations, where sustainable resources save you money while helping to save the planet, and where residents can take part in unlimited activities (cycling!) right outside their door."

Albertson's was a fixture in Greenlake for 50 years. The sudden closing of the store shocked the neighborhood and it's standing empty for over a year has been "your worst nightmare" according to Ref Lindmark of the Greenlake Community Council. We're not sure what the plan is at this point but the building has started to come down and we're all excited to see what is going to take it's place.

The largest project in the area has also just started. The Vitamilk Dairy has recently started to come down and according to a 2004 Seattle PI article, the developer "envisions an anchoring grocery store, underground parking and ground-floor shops. Upward of 250 housing units, likely to be apartments, could be built above."

Change can be tough but like I said before, we are very excited about the growth in Greenlake. All of this construction has of course been a little tough on parking in the area but in the end it will all be worth it.

Greenlake Expansion Opening Soon!

It's been a long process for everyone invloved, but the end is in sight. We're planning on having our service department up and running in the new expanded area of Greenlake sometime around the middle of this week.

We've started to get all the bikes sorted out and stored in our new warehouse space on the second floor and were pretty excited to get everything under one roof.

We've already got some mechanics working in the new area and everyone should be at the main location by the end of the week. No more walking down the street to service or to grab a new bike.

Our parts area has also started moving into their new storage area. It'll be a while before we get everything completely organized but we're on our way.

The doors are open to the new area but we're still "employees only" at this point. When the process is completed our customers will no longer have to go outside to get to another part of our store. The whole store will be connected and under one roof!

Gregg's Picnic 2007

Every year we have a Summer picnic here at Gregg's. It can get pretty hectic around here in the summer and people look forward to the picnic to take a bit of a break, get to know people in the other stores and just kind of hang out. This year has been espcially hectic as we've been crazy with construction and moving. So the picnic is a way for Gregg's to say thanks to all of our employees. By the looks of everyone had a great time!

Greenlake Construction : Closer and Closer!

The Greenlake construction project is getting closer and closer to being completed. This is good news as we are currently having to send people on a little trek to get to our service area. When all is done we'll get moved in as soon as possible and be able to get back to a better than normal operation. Below we've got a bunch of pictures of the new space. Check it out!

This is the north end of the second floor which will eventually hold our expanded service department. Our service guys and gals are pretty excited to be up stairs in this space where they can get things done much more efficiently. We're looking forward to being able to expand our ability to build bikes for the sales floor and get service work done in a more timely manner.

With the new construction we've done everything possible to meet the standards set out in our mission statement. And one of the most important aspects of that is to provide our employees with, "a working environment that allows us to attract, develop and retain the best staff members." During this time of construction and re-construction our employees have had to deal with quite a few challenges. The new building will have an updated employee lounge, shower room and sun deck.

And here is the sun deck, right off the back of the employee lounge. It's not huge, but it's got a view of the lake and will be a great place to sit and have lunch or just take a quick break.

This is the south end of the upstairs addition. It will be mostly used for storage and have some service functions as well. This, of course, is all pretty flexible at this stage but we're looking forward to being able to service our customers faster and easier by having all of our bikes under one roof.

More storage space.

The door there on the left will be the new door to what was the Skate and rentals area. For the time being we plan to put everything back the way that it was on the bottom floor. But in the future we'll have the flexibility and space to make sure that everything is in the right place and easy to find. No longer will our customers have to search for the right door or go back outside to find another part of the store. In the new building once you come in any of the three doors to the building you can get to any other part of the store.

Stariway to the service area. Not for customers, as we'll have a check in area downstairs on the first floor and take the bikes up the elevator to get work done on the second floor.

Another view of the first floor of the addition.

This a view from what will be the new serive area looking down the hall where you'll pass two new bathrooms and head down to the skates and rentals area.

All the guys from Foushee are hard at work trying to get things done ASAP. We're still a few weeks out but after all the long hard work it's finally taking shape.

Greenlake Addition Getting Close

As many of you know, along with moving the Aurora store to Alderwood and building a brand new store in Bellevue, we've also been doing an addition to the Greenlake store. Since 1932 Gregg's Greenlake Cycle has sat unchanged on the corner of Woodlawn and Ravenna. The building has been in the family since then and it was not without great reason that it has been changed. And that reason is the recent expansion in the Greenlake neighborhood. For years we had a large warehouse across the street at what is now "The Greenlake" condos. They are beautiful and we welcome them but it did change a few things for us. For the last few years we've been using a space near the old Vitamilk dairy for our warehouse. While not perfect this worked well for us . Soon, this space will also be torn down for mixed use buildings. Again, we welcome the change for the neighborhood but it left us with some pretty weighty decisions of our own. To be the successful bike shop that we've been for the last 75 years we've always need a great deal of storage. So, after careful consideration, it was decided that we would put the whole operation under one roof and build our own warehouse and new retail area of the store. The pictures below are what we have to date. This project is looking to be done in the next six weeks or so.

Bike To Work Day '07

What a great day for the Starbucks Bike to Work Day! The weather couldn't have been much better and there were hundreds of riders that passed by the Greenlake station, over 400 riders in fact. Once again Cascade has put on a great event and with the help of LuluLemon Athletica the Greenlake Station was again one of the most used in the city. Check out below for some pictures of the day.

Greenlake in The Sun!

The weather has started to turn a little bit for us up here in the Northwest and things are looking great in the sun. It's also given the good folks at Foushee a chance to work in the sun while constructing what looks to be a pretty impressive addition to the Greenlake Store. It's been great fun to walk out of the building and look up to see what has changed today. As with most construction, to the untrained eye, it seems to go in fits and starts. For a while it seemed as if progress was very slow but then all of a sudden this steel framework popped up! Here's a few more pictures from yesterday.

More Greenlake Pics

Greenlake Construction

It's been a few weeks since our last post about the Greenlake construction project. They've torn down and cleaned up the mess from the old building and started putting up the new one. I've looked for pictures of what the finished project is going to look like but haven't found any just yet. Until then here's a few pictures of the framework going up. Things are moving fast now!

More Greenlake Construction

The building, it's coming down! We've had a lot of questions about what is going on and we want to make sure that everyone knows that we are open during construction at the Greenlake store. We are expanding and growing! Check out more pictures below.