水果派AV

"I call myself a poser," said Growney, 51, of Weedsport. "But I have an addiction to things with wheels."

That addiction inspired Growney and his wife, Julie, to buy L.B. Lightning Cyclery in downtown Auburn in 2019 鈥� and, this month, to move the shop from 15 E. Genesee St. to a larger space at 37 Market St. a block away. But the move was also inspired by the amount of people who've become addicted to bicycles in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.

By June 2020 the shop was sold out of bicycles, Growney said, and mechanic Brian Murphy had hundreds to repair as people sought a solitary form of outdoor recreation.聽

"Bikes even came out of a barn after decades of not being used," Growney told 水果派AV. "All these older parts bikes never had a demand for (including kickstands) were wiped out."

But Growney was used to struggling with the supply chain. He has 30 years of experience in manufacturing, wholesale distribution and customer service, he said. When he wanted to change his career path around 2014 he approached Mike Goss, who owned聽Mike's Bikes & Boards聽in Grant Avenue Plaza in Sennett, about taking the longtime shop over.

Growney had been a fan of bicycles since childhood, he said, growing up during the BMX craze of the 1970s and the mountain bike boom of the 1980s. The '90s were all about motorcycles.

"The bike industry is unlike any other business," he said, calling bicycle shops "a community necessity."

Goss passed away in 2015 and his shop's inventory was auctioned off, putting the brakes on Growney's hope of taking over the business. But four years later, he and his wife bought L.B. Lightning Cyclery from the Parks family. The floor had nine bicycles but, in their opinion, it needed more. So they invested in another 75, and filled the shelves with helmets and more accessories.聽

"(Owning a bike shop) is a job of passion," Growney said. "Consider聽the principles of finance: The higher the risk, the higher the return. I鈥檓 a moderate risk type of guy."

The Growneys took a similar risk when COVID-19 began, keeping their shop open as much as the government would let them.

While enthusiasm for cycling has slowed聽a bit since 2020, and online retailers remain tough for shops to compete against, Growney said L.B. Lightning's business is still steady. That's why, when the time came earlier this year to look for a bigger location, they wanted to stay in Auburn despite encouragement from some customers to look elsewhere.

The Growneys found that location in the yellow brick three-story building on Market Street, previously Robin's Hair Care.聽

Customers are greeted by two bicycles visible from the street.聽Near the entrance sits a rusted child's bicycle someone found, brought to the shop and tried to pawn to Growney, he said. In the second-floor window hangs a Klein, a now-defunct American bicycle company. Growney, explaining the importance of the brand, noted that on "Seinfeld" Jerry had a Klein in his apartment.聽

Inside the shop is an array of bicycles from brands Giant, Liv, Momentum, Brooklyn, Origin 8, Salsa, Subrosa, Strider and Surly. Models include road, fitness, transition and torque-sensing bicycles.

The shop's goal, according to its website, is to "instill bike bliss in Auburn."

"It鈥檚 a great time to be a consumer," Growney said. "There are really good deals out there."