along with a local Bike shop. I know several Mizzou fans who are friends of mine that worked there during their college days...anybody on here?
Red Weir Athletic Supplies has become a Columbia staple over the past 63 years. The current location on West Broadway has been open since 1978 and has sold equipment to multiple generations of athletes.
"The thing that's great about sporting goods or athletic goods is it's different every day. There's a new sport starting, there's a new customer, there's a new coach," owner Michael R. Weir said.
For Weir, closing the business was as simple as wanting to retire.
"I'm going to be 69 here in February and it's time to do some other things with your life," Weir said. "You know, after having two generations of a store that lasts over 60 plus years, it's time to move on and do something else."
The store is undergoing what Weir calls a "soft closing," essentially trying to get rid of all of its inventory. It stopped taking orders on Dec. 1, and the last day the store is open is Dec. 23.
"It's been fun, the whole ride has been a lot of fun," retail manager Jay Johnson said.
For Klunk Bicycle Service and Sales, the store has been in business for nearly two decades. Some of the issues leading to its closure was supply chain issues last year and not enough demand this year.
"Maintaining a storefront like this is a lot of time, a lot of energy, and you're kind of tied to the building," owner Karl Kimbel said.
The business on Green Meadows Road has already stopped its regular hours. There was a closing sale from Dec. 14-16 that ran from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.
However, Kimbel isn't going away from the bike industry completely. He wants to find a smaller space where he can become a solely repair-focused business.
"I like the repair part, and if I could just shrink it back down, almost to even smaller than when I started," Kimbel said.
Despite there appearing to be more bike work in Kimbel's future, there were still emotions involved in the decision to close the store.
"When I first made the decision, yeah it was emotional, like I've been tied to this place for a long time," Kimbel said. "I started it from scratch."
www.komu.com
Two Columbia businesses shutting their doors this month
- Ben Schmidt, KOMU 8 Reporter
- 15 hrs ago
Red Weir Athletic Supplies has become a Columbia staple over the past 63 years. The current location on West Broadway has been open since 1978 and has sold equipment to multiple generations of athletes.
"The thing that's great about sporting goods or athletic goods is it's different every day. There's a new sport starting, there's a new customer, there's a new coach," owner Michael R. Weir said.
For Weir, closing the business was as simple as wanting to retire.
"I'm going to be 69 here in February and it's time to do some other things with your life," Weir said. "You know, after having two generations of a store that lasts over 60 plus years, it's time to move on and do something else."
The store is undergoing what Weir calls a "soft closing," essentially trying to get rid of all of its inventory. It stopped taking orders on Dec. 1, and the last day the store is open is Dec. 23.
"It's been fun, the whole ride has been a lot of fun," retail manager Jay Johnson said.
For Klunk Bicycle Service and Sales, the store has been in business for nearly two decades. Some of the issues leading to its closure was supply chain issues last year and not enough demand this year.
"Maintaining a storefront like this is a lot of time, a lot of energy, and you're kind of tied to the building," owner Karl Kimbel said.
The business on Green Meadows Road has already stopped its regular hours. There was a closing sale from Dec. 14-16 that ran from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.
However, Kimbel isn't going away from the bike industry completely. He wants to find a smaller space where he can become a solely repair-focused business.
"I like the repair part, and if I could just shrink it back down, almost to even smaller than when I started," Kimbel said.
Despite there appearing to be more bike work in Kimbel's future, there were still emotions involved in the decision to close the store.
"When I first made the decision, yeah it was emotional, like I've been tied to this place for a long time," Kimbel said. "I started it from scratch."
Two Columbia businesses shutting their doors this month
Red Weir Athletic Supplies and Klunk Bicycle Service and Sales are closing their doors in December.
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