{ SHOP STOP }
WHEEL WORLD
It all started with a parking-lot ride
Most of our “Shop Stops” are at dedicated electric bike shops, meaning
they only carry electric bikes.
However, sometimes a more traditional independent bike dealer
(IBD) sees the future promise of
e-bikes. Wheel World is one of
those shops. Or, should we say
“two of those shops,” because
there are two Wheel World locations.
The original Wheel World
opened in Culver City, California,
in 1945. They opened a second location in the late 1980s in
Woodland Hills, California. Owner
Kyle Paulson took over operations
for his dad years ago. Despite
his laid-back Californian personality—a tall man wearing a shop
T-shirt and jeans—he’s a shrewd
businessman who constantly
monitors what his customers buy.
He’s unconcerned with what’s hot
in the bicycle world; he is interested in what serves his customers
best.
The 3500-square-foot
Woodland Hills store has recently
been renovated, and they use
every square inch effectively, including hanging inventory
from the ceiling. They cover the
windows with beautiful pictures
of bicycle riding and effectively
block all sunlight from coming into
the store—on purpose. Paulson
believes that without blinding light
coming in or the distractions of
cars whizzing by outside, the customers can see all the bikes and
accessories more clearly, making
the colors pop. Clearly, Paulson
has looked at every aspect of the
customer experience.
“I think [electric bikes] are the future of our industry!” 74 www.electricbikeaction.com
