Wednesday March 12^th, 2025

After nine years in the Bayview Cash Store community, Bayview Bikes has decided to close its doors at the end of this month. Citing the common frustration of slowed business, owner Michael Copenhaven has decided to shift his efforts elsewhere. The shop is scheduled to close on Friday, March 28, unless a serious buyer steps forward to take over the business.

“I opened this shop in 2015. We’ve been here nine years in this building and it would have been our 10^th this year, but business has slowed way down.” Michael explained.

Bayview Bikes, located along the Langley Loop bike trail, has welcomed countless cyclists over the years. Despite its popularity, the retail and repair shop faced numerous “peaks and valleys” in business, making its eventual closure seem inevitable. Whidbey Island is home to both recreational bikers and professional cyclists, with the annual Tour de Whidbey drawing a crowd of cycling enthusiasts every August. However, as owner Michael explained, the shop’s struggles were largely due to the extreme fluctuations in business—periods of high demand followed by crippling lows.

“During the years of COVID restrictions we saw some of our best and worst business. We would sell out of our inventory only to find out that we couldn’t restock. It was really rough on the bike industry” Micheal said.

Growing up here, I’ve always considered the south end to be pretty bike-friendly. I’d cycle down the hill onto Bayview Road, where the terrain is mostly flat until you hit Brooks Hill Road. After tackling that slight incline, you can glide through the S-curves into Langley, surrounded by towering evergreens and fir trees. Commuters often bike onto the Clinton-Mukilteo ferry, avoiding the hassle of the car line. Cycling groups are a common sight along Highway 525, making their way up or down the island. With such a thriving cycling community, it makes me wonder—how could a bike repair shop struggle in a place like this?

“We saw a huge influx of people moving here from the city as a result of COVID lock downs. A lot of people working from home and wanted a better atmosphere, cleaner air, the views, etc. But when they returned to office, their house goes up as an Airbnb and that island customer, that local resident is no longer here. People would be so excited to be here, but only for a limited time.” expressed Michael.

Michael’s background in cycling is a spectrum of expertise from college campus bike repair to high-end retail. He moved from Atlanta to Whidbey Island where he has family and went in to cycling retail as a first-time owner. Aside from repairs and running the shop, Michael and his girlfriend own Bell Lap Productions where they produce a mountain bike race series called Westside MTB. They also contract to time other racing events like 5Ks, 10Ks, and triathlons all over the Puget Sound.

“We work with a handful of events here on the island including the Whidbey Island Triathlon, Race the Reserve, Hustle with Heroes, and the recently reinvigorated Chum Run. One of our Westside races was here at the Kettles just a few weeks ago.” Michael explained.

When I asked him if rental prices were a factor in his closure, he had nothing but gratitude towards his landlords at Goosefoot.

“They were a great landlord to us and honestly rent was the least of my worries. It was very reasonable and they were always great to work with so I would have fully expected that to remain the same going forward.”

He says he has no plan as to what’s next, but he will continue participating in the local racing community in some capacity, whether its timing events or producing races with his business.

Like many other small businesses in the island communities, there’s always the question of survival rate throughout the year. Bayview Bikes is just one of many stories that have a common thread within our community. During their last few weeks of business, the shop is offering all of the items at 50% off and you can see all of their inventory in itemized categories online. Serious inquiries about buying the business email: shop@bayviewbikes.com.