City Cycle Club.
(Photos: Rapha)
Rapha, the premium ‘performance roadwear’ brand from the U.K. whose North American headquarters have been in Portland since 2008, has set up a temporary retail space in New York City they describe as a combination of gallery, shop, and café. Serving as a ‘pop-up store’ — a trend popular among fashion retailers — Rapha’s ‘Cycle Club’ will be open for only three months.
The Bowery location (325 Bowery) officially opened on Saturday. Rapha communications staffer Jeremy Dunn says in addition to selling their entire line of cycling apparel, the ‘Cycle Club’ will also serve as a destination for bike lovers and an event space. “We are hoping that the space can evolve the idea of a shop into more of a club atmosphere,” says Dunn.
Coverage of the Tour de France has been showing in the space alongside Rapha’s collection of cycling ephemera. Visitors are encouraged to browse around, enjoy an espresso (made with Portland’s Stumptown coffee of course), or flip through one of the many bike magazines on the shelves. The centerpiece of the space is a Citroen H-Van which was shipped to the site just for the occasion.
“We were excited to create a place where cyclists could get to know Rapha and build more awareness for the brand. And, you know what they say, ‘If you can make it there…'”
— Slate Olson, Rapha North America general manager
Slate Olson, general manager of Rapha North America, heads back to Portland this week after helping set up the New York City location. He says the Cycle Club has been packed, mostly due to a dearth of nearby Tour de France viewing locations. “Our table [in the cafe area] seats 40 – and today it was full again. We have had a great turnout of people excited to have a place to watch the Tour live, with other people who also care. It’s rare to find a bar who will carry it, let alone flip to it.”
Beyond hanging out and reading magazines, the Cycle Club is a calculated business move for Rapha. Olson says New York City is an important market. “It has an extremely active road racing scene and nearly everyday they are laying down bike lanes, encouraging more and more people to ride their bicycle as their primary way of getting about town.” Olson also noted New York’s “energy for cycling” and said, “we were excited to create a place where cyclists could get to know Rapha and build more awareness for the brand. And, you know what they say, ‘If you can make it there…'”
Despite the holiday weekend, Olson says, “we still had a steady business and initial sales are promising.”
— See more photos from opening night by John Watson on his Prolly is Not Probably blog.