Calmar Bicycles and its predecessors have been serving the South Bay cycling community for over 100 years. Sadly, it’s time for us to announce the end. We are scheduled to close our doors by the end of March.
Unfortunately, the wave of redevelopment sweeping through Santa Clara has targeted the property that Calmar Bicycles has called home for over 50 years. The current proposal is to redevelop the property into 151 apartments with just over a third of the existing retail space to be rebuilt.
We are proud to have had the opportunity to serve you, our customers, for many years. We’ve made great memories and hopefully enabled hours of cycling joy for you. We strived to be the best at what we did and, in 2016, earned one of Metro’s Best of Silicon Valley awards and one of the National Bicycle Dealers Association’s America’s Best Bike Shop awards.
Our legacy is to be one of growing cycling in the South Bay through our advocacy efforts with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, the City of Santa Clara Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and the Lake Cunningham Bike Park Steering Committee. We have worked to provide new cyclists with the knowledge they need to be successful and to grow the opportunities to ride safely in our community.
We have explored all options to ensure continuity for our customers but lease rates are rapidly rising in Santa Clara. It’s difficult finding retail space that is appropriately sized and that a locally owned, independent retailer can afford. Many of the new developments along El Camino Real exclude or reduce retail space, making the search more difficult.
The strength of the Silicon Valley economy has become one of the store’s downfalls. Recruiting quality employees in the last few years has become challenging. In the last year, several new hires quit without notice for other opportunities before completing their first week of employment.
We are happy to announce that although we will be closing, we have arranged an agreement with a local Bike shop so you can continue to receive the awesome service Calmar is known for. Visit here to learn more.
