Great Lakes Bicycle Company
Great Lakes Bicycle CompanyCOVID-19 taketh away and COVID-19 giveth back. When the pandemic hit in 2020, it meant Andrew Colborne had to shut down the family business, Great Lakes Dance Academy. With nothing but time on his hands, Andrew turned his attention to making a long-time dream come true by starting the Great Lake Bicycle Company in Point Edward. "My wife and I run Great Lakes Dance Academy and because the business works with children and we do physical activity, they locked us out and said, 'Thanks for coming. You had a successful business and now you have nothing.'
'I had a long run at a bicycle shop when I was in college,' Andrew says. While attending Sheridan College in Oakville for musical theatre in the late nineties and early 2000s, Andrew was in the market for a job. 'I have always been into biking and I always wanted to work at a bike shop. The shop I landed in really changed my life. The owners really took me under their wing. They instilled into me how to run a business, how to treat customers and how to be successful in the bicycle industry.'
Aside from the pandemic, Andrew has hit other snags as he tries to establish a new business. "Well, for starters, we've been open a few weeks and we're still waiting for our first shipment of bikes," Andrew says. "All my bikes were supposed to be here in the middle of March and here we are in the middle of May and I haven't received the first one yet. It's frustrating, but there's nothing you can do about it. If the company could get them here, we'd have them here. It's nobody's fault." The good news is the bikes arrived May 19.
Andrew says he wants to make his shop accessible to all levels of riders. "We're a totally friendly place to learn about bicycles and we're stoked about riding," Andrew says. "We're also stoked about the community as a whole. We're excited about what cycling brings to the community and we want to contribute to people's enjoyment of the sport."
Andrew says some bike stores can be intimidating to walk into, but not Great Lakes Bicycle Company. "Our products aren't different from other shops," Andrew says. "The thing that sets us apart from everybody else is the vibe of the store. It is the care of our customers that we are focused on. We give them great service."
Andrew insists what makes his shop different from others is its philosophy. "The shop is really nice," Andrew says. "It's bright and sunny and really open. I didn't want to stuff the showroom with lots of stuff and make it overwhelming. Keeping with the beach vibe that Sarnia has in the summertime will allow people to pop their head into the store and say, 'Hey, this is really cool.'
Related Stories
The Raven Heart
For Ashley Smith, yoga became more than a practice. It became a lifestyle. "It was only three and a half years ago that I started yoga," says Ashley, who now owns and operates The Raven Heart, a Sarnia-based healing sanctuary that offers yoga and meditation among other holistic services. "Our
Alix Foundation
In 1988, Judith and Norman Alix learned that Clearwater Arena needed a second ice surface. The township had received a grant from the provincial government, but was struggling to come up with the balance needed for the second rink. Both of our boys played hockey at Clearwater, so we donated the b
Korny Korners Farm
One look at the name and you just know Korny Korners Farm is a fun place to visit. It's a fifth generation, over a century-old farm, says owner Roger Thurston, 74. I have been working here all my life. It has transitioned over the years and about 10 years ago we started to take our produc
St. Clair Windows and Doors
Don White started St. Clair Windows and Doors in 2007 with the mission to offer quality you can afford. We sell top-quality products, and have used that slogan since we started. It's still holding true, says White. Having previously worked in the industry for five years, White always had his
Related Stories
Halo Hair Salon
Mike and Lori Beggs packed up their personal belongings and moved to Sarnia in 2002 after purchasing Enviro Trends (now Halo Hair Salon), which is located in the Lambton Mall. An esthetician by trade, Lori previously worked at a c...
Playing for Charity
Playing for Charity's first annual 24 Hour Video Game Marathon was Darryl Heater's way of combining two things that he loves: video games and his community. Heater suggested the idea to Max Major, and together they created the event. We aren't runners or athletic. We wanted to take one of o
Fox and Hound Canine Retreat
Katie Fuller grew up with a love for dogs, specifically terriers and fox hounds, a favorite of her dad's. As a child, Fuller attended dog trials with her dad, then later competed with her own terriers in performance events. After high school, Fuller attended a grooming academy to become a pet styl
The Painted Cat
From a young age, Cat Cabajar loved drawing, painting, and creating with anything she could get her hands on. Her first face painting experience happened by chance sixteen years ago. "I was head of public relations for the Artwalk...
