By Christina McDonough Hunt
Bike Stop has opened a new location at 13157 State Line Rd. in Martin City, next to Planet Sub. Owners Don Daly and Ross Given are thrilled about the new location, and are looking forward to becoming a part of the community.
“We think Martin City has a fantastic, old school vibe that we like,” Daly said. “We want to be more than a business here, we want to be part of the community.”
The pair hope to “add a lot to Martin City” by hosting events and partnering with other businesses in the area. They want to draw attention to the importance of fitness and community by hosting bike rides, cleaning trails, supporting local race teams and becoming Martin City’s cycling advocates.
“The great thing about our bike shop is that the money stays local,” Given said. “We support juniors, cycling teams and race teams. We engage in our community, we clean trails and much more. We find value in that.”
Given said their main focus is family. The shop wants to get kids on bikes and encourage a family aspect by getting mom and dad together with the kids.
“We’re not just looking for someone to walk in one time and never see them again. We want them to walk in and feel part of the family and come back,” he commented.
“We survive by knowing our customers’ names, doing more for them and really caring about them. It’s so important to us,” added Daly.
Daly and Given were drawn to Martin City due to its charm, but also because of the large number of bike trails around the area. They felt there was a void that needed to be filled by a local bike store.
According to Given, their shop offers more than just bike sales–it’s a full service shop where each member of staff is specially trained, with a combined 30 years of experience.
“Our guys have bike mechanic degrees and do online seminars to keep up on what’s constantly changing, especially right now…with the new e-bikes,” Given said.
Bike Stop carries an array of bicycle types, brands and sizes from freestyle, gear and mountain bikes to e-bikes in kids to adult sizes. Brands include Giant, Specialized, Haro Kids, Intense, Salsa and more. They offer free lifetime tune-ups to all who purchase bikes, and also sell bike parts. There is even an option to build a custom bike, piece by piece, and have it delivered to the store for pickup. Given said the main difference in their bikes is the quality of their product and how they are put together.
Daly and Given met and became friends through cycling, and it was cycling that drew them to purchase Bike Stop in September 2020. They purchased the business from original owners John and Todd Pennington, two brothers who started the company in 1988. Bike Stop has other locations in Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit.
Daly and Given currently have corporate careers, but hope to eventually be fully present at the stores.
“Owners need to be present. We know that and recognize that,” Daly said. “This is our passion job. It doesn’t feel like we are working when we are in the store. We get to be around something that we truly love. We get the opportunity to talk to customers and be around them and we are truly rich for that. Not rich in capital money, but rich because we are happy to have that. We hope our customers feel that too.”
Bike Stop is currently hiring at the Martin City store and plans to partner with Giant Bicycles to host a grand opening community event in April 2022. Learn more at bikestoponline.com.