Westshore Bicycles hopes to grow its capacity to serve its community and share its passion for cycling with a recent 50 per cent increase in store space.
Owner Chris Dickinson, mountain biking around the Westshore since childhood, anticipates considerable growth in future years with the July expansion of this Langford-based bike shop into an adjoining property formerly occupied by the UPS Store.
With Westshore Bicycles’ property now about 50 per cent larger, Dickinson intends to keep up with the fast-growing needs of his Langford and Westshore clientele. In addition to serving the local community, Westshore bicycles is also generating increasing business from Victoria, Duncan, Cobble Hill and Sooke, with numerous people having rediscovered cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It kind of worked that the UPS Store’s lease was up and there was another location for UPS to be moved to,” said Dickinson, noting that the switch followed multiple years of discussion with the Westshore Town Centre property manager and UPS Store.
He said the expansion will provide more room for stocking product and providing mechanical service so to maintain reasonable turnaround times on repairs.
“It’s important to have a reliable, knowledgeable, friendly bike shop in town just so that people can have all of their cycling needs met, whether it’s getting a new bike or getting one of their old ones fixed.”
Despite owning the business alone, Dickinson said the expansion was largely a joint effort with other staff, including a couple minority partners, and a Cascara Construction contractor who helped make the process “as easy as it can be.”
Dickinson currently has nine staff members, a number that has already risen during the pandemic, and said that he intends to hire several more employees in light of the business’ expansion.
“We like to think we’re a little more than just a bike shop. We’re all cyclists and we’re all here to get people riding again, give them cycling advice and get them seated on their bikes properly.”
Westshore Bicycles originally operated as Oak Bay Bikes for 11 years, and was voted best bike shop the last three years for Black Press Media’s Best of the WestShore Awards. Their bike suppliers include Vancouver-based bestseller Norco and California-based brands Specialized Bicycle Components, Ibis Cycles, Santa Cruz Bicycles and, most recently, Marin Bikes.
Dickinson was delighted by the amount of positive feedback and excitement he received from the community upon his initial decision to expand the business.
“I knew people would be liking the expansion, but how excited people in the community were for us —it’s been very nice to have that reaction.”
Metaphorically speaking, he said he looks forward to further helping people et off on their journey and get back into the healthy habit of cycling.
“What we’ve kind of discovered here (at Westshore Bicycles) is cycling’s a great lifestyle and it fits with everybody.”
For more information on Westshore Bicycles, visit westshorebikes.com