What we are trying to create is something more than a place where you rent bikes; we want to create an experience for our customers, our community. We want the people who come into our store to feel “at home”, and a sense of belonging. As teachers, both Pete and I know the importance of creating this when building a community (or a classroom). It puts everyone at ease, and allows everyone to feel safe and willing to try something new.
Also, we want the store to reflect that it is a bike shop with gears, spokes and grease; to emphasize the industrial part of the business, all the while embracing our love of the natural, the simple and the hand-made. What a tall order to fill. All this got us to thinking about branding and design, something we know very little about.
I’m a huge believer of the 80-20% rule. When creating something new that is not in your expertise, take it to your 80% and let an expert do the rest. I found this to be a real help when I wrote my book, “The Artist in You”, which has been picked up by Hachette Children’s Publishing House, UK. This led me to take a couple of Skillshare courses on Branding (if you’ve never tried Skillshare, I TOTALLY recommend it, and Craftsy too). I'm still trying to make or tails out of it, but I'm getting there and feeling excited about how our Vision can be reflected in all that we do for the business.
I also started a board on Pinterest called, “Décor Ideas”. We are thinking of going for a Rustic Industrial look but brighter, warmer. A huge trend right now in the states is Bike and Coffee shops. We like the look of those types of stores, like Heritage General Store and Kingdom Coffee and Cycles. Although we love coffee and will certainly serve some coffee, I don’t think we will focus too much on it. There are already some great roasters and coffee houses here in Perth. Anyway, feel free to check out the Pinterest board and let us know what you think, or if you have suggestions for us.
