Appreciating Your Customers

Brian Eckman, pictured here, and David Luppino held a customer appreciation day at Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium tonight, drawing a steady stream of bicyclists into the store. People enjoyed munching and drinking a few beers, checking out the bikes and chatting with reps and local bicycle leaders such as Tina Russo, chair of the bicycle-pedestrian advisory committee in Hillsborough County.


How do you grow bicycling? By connecting with everyday average bicyclists who care about their community. Here's Lisa and Rick Hickman of Seminole Heights who rode the inaugural Seminole Heights Bicycle Club ride on Saturday morning, where she learned about the Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium customer appreciation day. So there they were, five days later, checking out the gear and having fun while they were doing it. That's what building a bicycle community is all about -- building a healthy spirit and comradery about bicycling, no matter what your experience level is.


Central Florida Trek rep Andrew Young chats with Ellen Pierson, who helps promote the Police Unity Tour -- a bike ride of pedaling cops who are raising money for a law enforcement memorial in Washington, D.C.


Tina Russo, who oversees the Upper Tampa bay Trail for Hillsborough County and is the local Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee chair, tells folks the importance of having the county commissioners approve the $11 million necessary to hook the Upper Tampa Bay Trail with the Suncoast Trail. This would be the longest continuous paved trail in Florida and has been planned for years.


Ellen and Bill of American Classic wheels were on the scene displaying their dreamy wheels.


Here's Picot Floyd of Seminole Heights checking out the merchandise. You might recall Picot as the bike commuter who raised a red flag about a concrete island built wrongly in a bike lane on Fletcher Avenue at the Telecom business area. Picot contacted South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers (SWFBUD), which prompted the developer to remove the concrete island from the bike lane.
Maintaining The Bike Lane


People had a great time tonight.