There’s no way of knowing whether there is a correlation with the county’s pro-bike efforts, but according to a published report, local bike stores are doing quite well in a down economy.
Revolution Cycles, which now has two Arlington locations, is on pace to see a $1 million jump in sales this year, according to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Revolution’s flagship Clarendon store alone has seen sales increase by 60 percent in April and by more than 30 percent for the year.
“I usually get stares like ‘whoa what is it’ or ‘hey that’s cool,'” Hewitt said during his lunch break.
A Trikke, for the uninitiated, looks kind of like a pair of overgrown Siamese-twin scooters. The aluminum device is described in promotional literature as a “carving vehicle,” after the forward-leaning, side-to-side, inline-skating-esque motion that propels it forward.
Locals may know Elevation Burger for their strip mall storefronts on Lee Highway in Arlington and Falls Church. But the restaurant industry knows Elevation Burger as #56 on last year’s annual FastCasual.com Top 100 list of movers and shakers.
The nascent chain has seven restaurants open right now and expects to open more than 100 restaurants from LA to NYC to Kuwait by 2013. A Rosslyn location is also in the works, and a Ballston location may not be too far behind. The company hopes to open a few dozen stores in the D.C. area in coming years.
