A lot of locals have a little more free time on their hands because of the coronavirus, and with the nice weather, many are turning to the outdoors.
And that's meant a boom for business for bike stores.
Matt Van Gelder is the owner of Dennis Cycle Center, a bike repair shop and store off the Rail Trail in Dennis. He says his shop has been busy.
“We’ve seen an explosion in interest in biking in general – constant repairs – we’ve actually never had this many repairs at this time of year, and we’re three weeks to a month backed up in time frame.”
They are also nearly sold out of new bikes at the shop.
Corner Cycle in Falmouth owner George Sykes says his business has been good, too, as people use federal stimulus money to buy new bikes. So much so, demand has been outpacing supply.
As factories have shut down, shops sell bikes at a rapid pace around the country, and international transportation slows down during the pandemic, restocking supply has been a problem.
But much of the shop's revenue comes from rentals, and Sykes worries about a drop in tourism. He's also worried about keeping his customers and employees safe.
Bikes are metal, and the coronavirus has been found to stay on metal for long times. And Sykes says he will have a difficult time finding enough disinfectant to sanitize bikes as they come and go from the shop.
Kayak stores have also recently opened under phase one of the state's reopening plan. Mike Morrison with Rideaway Kayaks says they've had a boom in sales for used kayaks as people look to get outdoors.
And he's been booking more and more tours since opening last week.
