Local bicycle entrepreneur Brian Hackford, refers to his third
Keswick Cycle shop as "somewhat of a personal victory." Keswick is a high-end bicycle outpost with locations in both Glenside, Montgomery County, and Cherry Hill, N.J., and Hackford plans to cut the proverbial ribbon on his third retail space sometime this August, at 4040 Locust Street in
University City--the former home of Strikes Bowling Lounge.
To hear Hackford himself tell the tale, the fact that he managed to secure the location at all is by far the most dramatic bit. University City and bicycle shops, it seems, have not always gone hand and hand.
"I've been trying to get on Penn's campus for seven years," he insists, In today's economic climate, of course, landlords aren't nearly as picky. (The 4,000-square-foot shop is being rented by
Campus Apartments.) And it didn't hurt that Hackford's rental agent was himself a cycling enthusiast.
As for the Keswick Cycle retail philosophy, it tends to take bikes just a touch more seriously than your average cycle shop. Keswick sells and repairs bikes, of course, and all manner of biking gear and apparel is on offer. But you'll also find a 'fit studio' at the new shop, where pros and hobbyists alike can be properly fitted for an appropriately proportioned ride.
A grand opening celebration, Hackford says, will likely be planned for September, once school is back in session.
Source: Brian Hackford, Keswick Cycle
Writer: Dan Eldridge
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