Light Street Cycles Closing in Federal Hill

After 28 years in Federal Hill, Light Street Cycles will be closing its 2,000 sq. ft. space at 1124 Light St. Owner Penny Troutner told SouthBMore.com that she does not have a final day of business scheduled yet as she is in the process of figuring out what’s next for her business. Light Street Cycles sells bicycles and accessories, as well as repairs bicycles and operates a bike tour business.

“It’s been a rough year and they are selling my building,” said Troutner. “Competition is tough. Online sales of almost everything is going up, and the rain has been so frequent that it has rained out several events. The Orioles being in a rebuilding phase has also hurt as Camden Yards didn’t attract the same numbers this year which had a depressing impact on the neighborhood.”

Troutner is looking at new spaces for her business and wants to focus on bike tours in the future. Light Street Cycles provides the bikes for these events.

“It’s very satisfying to take people out and show them a part of the city they haven’t seen,” said Troutner. “It’s amazing how little people from Maryland and D.C. know about Baltimore. Sometimes they don’t start out with the best impression.” She noted that participants’ opinions of Baltimore is often much more positive after a tour.

Troutner’s 10- to 12-mile tours go outside of the Inner Harbor to show riders the different neighborhoods. She said it really opens people’s eyes to see how quickly it changes from one neighborhood to the next in Baltimore. “It’s not uncommon to comment on how friendly people are,” said Troutner.

Troutner wants her business to be located near the tourist attractions such as the Inner Harbor, Downtown hotels, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and the Convention Center as visitor to the city drive a lot of business to the bike tours. Troutner likes the convenience of Federal Hill and loves bringing business from her tours into the neighborhood.

Depending on what size space Troutner finds and can afford will determine if she still offers repair services and sells bike accessories. She said she doesn’t mind Light Street Cycles being down for a few months in the winter because it’s the slow time of year for the business.

Troutner says that bike repairs business has stayed strong as she has seen more people inclined to to use an older bike as opposed to buying a new one.

Light Street Cycles spent six months at 1000 Light St. and about 18 years at 1015 Light St. before calling 1124 Light St. home for the last nine years.

When asked about her feelings on closing her store and figuring out what’s next, Troutner simply said, “It’s an adventure.”

Light Street Cycles is currently offering 40% off all clothing and shoes, 30% off all accessories and parts, and special sale prices on bikes.

via https://www.southbmore.com/2018/11/05/light-street-cycles-closing-in-federal-hill/