Second Ave. Sports’ General Manager Ron Thompson sits at one of the counters that were custom built for the new store. Local builder and artisan Andy Barber and his team designed the store and did the work, down to the last bike-cog detail./Photo by Jennaye Derge

Moving on up

Second Ave. Sports moves into new high-rise digs

by Martina Pansze

Second Avenue Sports has cranked up the gear. After a year and a half of construction, the outdoor shop’s new building is open for business.

The retail, repair and rental store moved to the lot next door, 640 E. 2nd Ave., after outgrowing its old building.

Second Avenue Sports is hosting an opening party to celebrate the new building on July 25 from 4-7 p.m. The event will have Ska beer, live music by Six Dollar String Band, giveaways and a raffle. Gopro and POC helmets have donated prizes, and all proceeds from the party will benefit Durango DEVO.

There is good reason to celebrate, too. The new store boasts 10,000 square feet of space.

“It’s definitely the biggest bike shop in town now,” remarked marketing manager Aubrey Volger.

The room allows for separate bike and ski repair sections and more repair stations. This allows for quicker repairs, which is important for the customer service-oriented business. Garage doors are another bonus feature, enabling easy wheeling in and out.

“We basically tried to make a big garage with lots of space, because that’s what we needed,” owner Gary Provencher said.

The size isn’t the only selling point, though. Volger said everything was built by local hands. The core and shell was built by general contractor, Kennebec Construction Inc., and local artisan Andy Barber, of counterKULTURE studio, designed the industrial-style wood, steel and concrete interior. Barber and the management team at Second Avenue worked closely together to create the vision for the style and function of the space before implementing it, she said.

“The building was designed to wear well with use. All the steel corners and steel walls can take abuse from bike pedals, U.P.S. guys, etc.,” said Barber, who is a friend of the owners.

An avid biker and snowboarder himself, Barber’s favorite thing to build was the entry desk with leaning steel walls.

While certainly functional, counterKULTURE’s work in the new building is also fun to look at. Using old bike parts, the builders welded steampunky accents throughout the store, including the counters, walls and bathroom.

General Manager Ron Thompson’s favorite part of the new building is one of these intricate designs holding up the bathroom’s concrete sink.

Provencher added that another plus in the new location is the industrial swamp cooler, which saves the building from the sweltering heat, along with the “Big Ass Fan” (the brand name, really) hanging from the ceiling.

Luckily for customers not arriving on two wheels, there will also be more room for parking.  In addition, there will be more room inside – customized to be used more efficiently. For example, bikes are hung from the ceiling using special hooks, and the shelving and pegs allows merchandise to be moved around easily depending on what’s in stock.

Although the official grand opening is this Saturday, the new building had its “soft opening” on June 4. And while the project was a year and a half in the works, Provencher said the hardest part was not the construction but moving out.

“That was the most difficult part,” he said. “The old location had been used for 15 years and in that time had amassed quite a pile of stuff.”