Bicycle Shortage Caused By Coronavirus Pandemic Leading To Ocean City Bike Shop To Close After 85 Years – CBS Philly

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (CBS) — An enormous enhance in demand for bicycles because the coronavirus pandemic is now resulting in a giant scarcity. One bike store in Ocean Metropolis is seeing its influence.

The brothers who personal Annarelli’s Bike Retailer on Asbury Avenue in Ocean Metropolis say there are simply not sufficient bikes to promote for them to remain open.

“We have been going to retire in two or three years, however that is going to maneuver it up,” Michael Annarelli, co-owner of the store, stated.

A longtime #OceanCity bicycle store is on the point of shut its doorways for good.

Hear the homeowners clarify why on @CBSPhilly at 5:30p pic.twitter.com/RpgM8jJ7eJ

— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) August 28, 2020

Annarelli is planning to shut the doorways to this 85-year-old family-run enterprise on the finish of summer time.

“The availability line obtained blown up,” he stated.

Annarelli says because the pandemic, many bicycle factories have been shutdown due to COVID-19 so now tires, bike locks and bicycles — nearly every little thing he sells — at the moment are almost unimaginable to return by, making a lot of his retailer’s partitions naked.

Nonetheless, the brothers are grateful for what the shop gave their household.

“It’s been our livelihood for 3 generations,” Annarelli stated.

Their grandfather first opened the bike store in 1935 throughout the Nice Despair. Whereas the household is working to ship pedal energy to this seashore neighborhood for somewhat longer, what they’re actually hoping to depart behind is their thanks for all the shoppers who caught with them for many years.

“Very grateful to them as a result of they put meals on our desk, garments on our again, educated our youngsters,” Annarelli stated. “We really feel very lucky.”

After the store closes in September, the household plans to promote the constructing.