Meet Lesley Tweedie of Roscoe Village Bikes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lesley Tweedie.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We opened 10 years ago in our same location on Roscoe St. My husband and I had lived in the neighborhood for several years and saw a need for a shop that would cater to all the commuters and families in the area. He had been working professionally as a bike mechanic and I was in non-profit program management. We decided we’d flex our entrepreneurial muscles and open a small business of our own. The space needed a lot of work but we preserved as many of the original fixtures as possible. The result is a very comfortable inviting space. We even have barber shop chairs and bike magazines in our repair waiting area. We’ve always tried to listen to people and treat them in a way that inspires them to return and recommend us to their friends and family. We also sponsor a lot of community events which has been very rewarding.

Has it been a smooth road?
We’ve struggled with staffing over the years but we feel like we have our best crew ever right now. The bike business in Chicago is very seasonal so it can be hard to offer as many hours in the winter as we can in the summer. Bike repair is very high skilled and it takes years to get really good. There have been years where we felt understaffed and others where we felt like we had too many people. The volume of work fluctuates so much. Right now it feels like we have a crew with good technical abilities and good people skills. They’re all creative, interesting, kind and hardworking people.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Roscoe Village Bikes story. Tell us more about the business.
We are known for being a really friendly bike shop. Our goal is to solve problems for our customers as quickly as possible and send them on their way with a smile. All bike shops want happy customers. We’re not different in that regard but we’ve really focused on it and it’s given us a pretty stellar reputation. That reputation is something we cradle like a glass egg. We never want it to break. Every single customer is so important to us. They have a lot of choices so if they come our way, we want to make sure they’re happy with that decision and come back again and again.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Retail has changed a lot due to a little something called the internet. The bike business is fortunate because we offer retail and repair. You can’t get your flat tire fixed on the internet. We’re very conscious about how we stock. We want to have a variety of great products on hand at all times but if people come to us to shop and then buy online, we’re in trouble. That phenomenon is known as “showrooming” in retail. I see it continuing to have an impact on the buying decisions of small retailers like us. We’re a little more wary than we were 5 years ago. I think repair work may end up making up a greater percentage of our total revenue over the next ten years than it did over the last.

Pricing:

• Basic Tune-Up: $85
• Average commuter bike price: $550
• Average road bike price: $1,200

Contact Info:

• Address: 2016 W. Roscoe St.
  Chicago, IL 60618
• Website: www.roscoevillagebikes.com
• Phone: 773-477-7550
• Email: info@roscoevillagebikes.com
• Instagram: RVBikes
• Facebook: facebook.com/roscoevillagebikes
• Twitter: @RVBikes
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/roscoe-village-bikes-chicago