Victory Bicycle Studio's now-sole owner, Clark Butcher, outlines a three-pronged plan for future growth, including a new retail space in Midtown, an online retail platform and a consulting company for other cycling retailers.
In 2010, Clark Butcher and Robert Taylor opened Victory Bicycle Studio in Cooper-Young only to have it burn down less than a month later. Where many might have taken that loss and packed it in, Butcher and Taylor instead got back up on their bikes and pedaled faster than ever.
The shop was eventually moved to Broad Avenue, where it’s seen upwards of 30 percent growth yearly. Success has been due largely to the pair’s experience in the industry–Taylor has been a bicycle mechanic for more than two decades and served on the advisory committees for both Trek and Cannondale bicycle companies, while Butcher has competed at the highest levels in American and European cycling–along with custom-fitted inventory and a near-obsessive dedication to service.
Yet time rolls on and focuses change, and effective May 1, Butcher is the sole owner of Victory Bicycle Studio, having purchased Taylor’s portion of the business. The two remain co-owners of the property at 2549 Broad Avenue.
The split was mutual and amicable, Butcher saying, “We’ve been friends for 15 years, he hired me to work for him when I was 14, so we’ve known each other forever.”
Butcher, ever the endurance athlete, shows no hint at slowing down. “I’m on a mission for us to grow nearly 60 percent this year.” This is thanks to a three-pronged plan.
Within the next 30 days, he’ll formally launch a retail internet site, saying he did nearly a quarter of a million dollars in out-of-state sales last year without any e-commerce site at all. “We have been shipping shirts, hats and jerseys–all Victory branded–all over the country, and feel it is definitely time to launch an online segment.”
Read the full article at Higher Ground News.