[jessaustin]

This is generally correct, and certainly aligns with larger trends in commercial real estate. On-premise retail of easily-shipped items, with no value-added ties to online retail, is on its last legs. The strip mall of the future has coffee shops but no clothing stores. Bike shops are fortunate that they have this sort of transition to attempt. Lots of menswear shops have an in-house tailor, but it's not as though they can refocus the business around that.

Bike shops aren't the only party trying to hold back the sea, however. Some specialty equipment distributors are so proud of the "network of bike shops" (often with various goofy "badges" and "qualifications") they had to build 20 years ago that they won't ship outside that. As if it's to their advantage to erect barriers to potential customers! Someone should send e.g. Surly a link to TFA. The author has a better idea of how they ought to run their business than they seem to have.