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Now that my good friend, Nash Callahan, is fully immersed in operating his new bicycle shop, Capital City Cycles in Augusta, I thought it would be a good time to check in. Only open for a few months, business has been pretty busy. Just remember, if you need any work done on your two-wheeled machine — he's the right guy for the job. So, here's my question-and-answer session with my former colleague at Mathieu's Cycle.
Q. Now that your doors are open, what's it like owning and running a bicycle shop?
A. Running the shop is very rewarding. After working for months to get everything ready to open, it's an amazing feeling to unlock the door every day. It can be a lot of work juggling all the things that need to get done around fixing bikes, but I don't mind a bit.
Q. Any surprises, or have things pretty much turned out like you had anticipated?
A. For the most part everything is turning out how I envisioned it. I would say the biggest surprise so far has been the amount of service that has come through the door. Having opened in the winter, I anticipated it being a slow off-season, but it's been a pleasant surprise to have a consistent stream of work coming in.
Q. Are you pleased with the shop's location in downtown Augusta?
A. The location has been fantastic! It has wonderful visibility, which has made it easy for people to find. Parking can be tricky at times, but it's been nice to have people who live close just walking their bikes down and not using a vehicle.
Q. Please remind us what services you provide?
A. Capital City Cycles LLC provides all basic bike service and repair. From tunes to replacing tubes, building new bikes from box. I tell folks I will work on anything that resembles a bike. I don't do any suspension service in house, but can send them out for it. There are only a couple things that I will not work on — no gas-powered bikes and I will not work on the electronics of e-bikes. I will work on the bicycle components of e-bikes, but please leave your battery at home.
Q. Are former customers from Mathieu's Cycle, where you previously worked, showing up at Capital City Cycles?
A. They have! It's been really nice to see familiar faces coming through the door and meeting a lot of new ones as well. My motivation behind opening was so folks still had somewhere to bring their bikes for service.
Q. Any future plans for your shop? The selling of bikes, etc.?
A. There are certainly some things that are in the works. I will be selling some used bikes; there are a couple I'm working on getting ready now. Also, I'm planning on doing some classes on some basic maintenance in the near future. Anyone that is interested in either, follow the shop on social media, I will be posting about that there. Lastly, this is not bike-related, but my other passion is photography. The shop also is a gallery for my work and eventually I will have prints available for sale.
Q. And finally, what are your store hours, address, and contact information?
A. You can find Capital City Cycles at 180 Water Street in Augusta, Maine. My phone number is (207) 213-4762. The shop is open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Email: CCCycles207@gmail.com. Facebook: www.facebook.com/CCCycles207.
Thanks, Nash! Click here for my initial Q&A with the head dude of Capital City Cycles.
