CliffordK

Wow, that is sad to hear, and the basic reason given is a crash of the upstream parts supply.

One can't run a bike shop without having tires, chains, sprockets, and other consumables.

If the local wholesalers are unwilling to supply the parts, my first step would be to attempt to develop a new supply chain. And, it might take some work, and increasing stock, but I'd have zero qualms about doing so.

It might mean buying retail to resell, but for a long time there have been complaints about online retail costs competing with local wholesale costs. At least a reseller business should get a sales tax exemption.

Of course, several vendors have worked hard to try to kill off alternative supply chains.

We had a local Mom&Pops auto parts store close due to COVID. I don't know their underlying issues. One thing that happened is that they seemed to temporarily close while other stores remained open. Undoubtedly that created confusion among their customer base, and some might have been slow to return once the doors reopened.

And, I always thought that aging owners may have also chosen to close rather than risk personal exposure to the virus.