Riding a bike-sales boom, shop owner peddles more

Low interest rates made the longtime bike dealer's expansion more affordable.
THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
GIRARD -- When Paul Frankford opened his first bike shop on a quiet side street in Girard 27 years ago, bicycles were considered toys and most of his customers were under 12.
He never guessed then that a boom in adult bicycle sales would be the impetus behind a major business expansion, but it's happening.
The average age of Frankford Bicycle's most frequent customers is on the rise, and the owner is at the midpoint in a $250,000 expansion project that will more than triple the size of his retail bike store at 964 N. State St. to accommodate the growth.
Phase one, the addition of a 3,700-foot showroom, has already doubled the space available to display Frankford's selection of BMX bikes, mountain bikes and road bikes for adults and children.
"We carry everything, from tricycles to $5,000 racing bikes," he said, estimating that the store generally stocks 600 to 700 bikes. With nine employees, the store's man brands are Giant, Schwinn and Cannondale.
What's next
The second phase of the building project, the addition of a 1,500-square-foot building next door, should be complete by year's end. The Other Place, a bar leasing the space, will move to a new location in the city. Frankford's original store space will be converted to a display area for his extensive inventory of BMX bike accessories and clothing for cyclists.
He said low interest rates also contributed to his decision to expand, and he believes the new space will help the business to build on its growing adult customer base.
Frankford said city officials have been helpful and encouraging to his building project, but he is financing the work himself with no government assistance.
The opening of the Mill Creek MetroParks Bikeway in Mahoning County and a similar bike trail across Trumbull County have been a boon for his business. Adult cycling is growing in popularity nationwide, but Frankford believes the trend has been even greater in the Mahoning Valley because of the new bike trails.
His adult customers run the gamut, from fitness buffs shopping for racing bikes and sleek spandex bike wear, to people in their 40s and 50s who haven't ridden a bike for decades.
Sharing the thrill
For Frankford, himself an avid cyclist, it's a thrill to introduce those middle-aged cyclists to the health, recreation and stress-reduction benefits of bike riding.
"We sell fun. We sell recreation," he said with a wide grin. "When people come into our store, they're excited and they're happy about getting started."
Today's bicycles are made with comfortable, gel-cushioned seats positioned on shock-absorbing suspension seat post, he said, and with handlebars that can be adjusted for each rider's comfort. Frankford said he won't let a customer out of his store with a new bike until he or one of his staff has adjusted the vehicle for a perfect "fit."
Frankford grew up with the bicycle business. His father, Floyd, ran Girard Cycle Sales until his death in 1971. Still a teen-ager at the time, Frankford took a job at another bike shop for two years before opening his own store in May of 1976, a month before he graduated from Girard High School.
The store started a mail-order business in 1982 and added a Web page for online sales in the late 1990s.
Now phone sales and Internet sales make up about half the company's business, Frankford said. He gets some orders from Europe and other countries but most come from customers in the United States.
Orders from cycling enthusiasts in the southern states have helped the business survive the long, cold Youngstown-area winters when local consumers aren't thinking about cycling.
vinarsky@vindy.com