Store Gears Up for Bike Sales with New Display

If you feel you’re running out of space to display some of your harder-to-merchandise inventory, get creative.

That’s what Sarah and Reid Davis, owners of R&S Hardware in Hinckley, Minn., did when showing bikes.

“We’ve only been open about a year and a half, but we kept shuffling the bikes around as we needed space to add new product,” Sarah says. “Finally, Reid suggested that we put them on top of the shelving.”

With some electrical conduit, a couple of screws and a zip-tie, it was easy for the couple to display two bikes on a short section of racking.

“If someone wants to look at one of the bikes, we just cut the zip-tie and bring it down for them,” Sarah says.

The Davises carry six different types of bikes at their store, including a basic mountain bike, a basic single-speed bike and some kids’ bikes. “It’s something we thought the community would have an interest in,” Sarah says. “There’s nowhere in town to buy a bike—you have to drive awhile to get one.
The single-speed is our biggest seller.”

She says they see the most bike sales in the spring and fall. “There aren’t as many sales in the middle of the summer, maybe because it’s hotter outside.”

Another advantage of displaying the bikes on top of the shelving is that they’re easier to see from the street. “We leave a few lights on at night, and it’s easy to see them in our window displays when people drive by at night.”