104-year old bike shop gets shop layout boost thanks to council grant
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Longstanding independent Ipswich bike shop Elmy Cycles has installed brand-new doors and adjusted its layout, thanks to funding from Ipswich Borough Council under the Town Fund Grant Scheme.
The shop, which celebrated its hundredth year in business in 2022 and is a member of the ACT, has made the changes “to reflect the changing way visitors come into [the] store.”
Posting on LinkedIn, owner Steven Grimwood said: “Thanks to Ipswich Borough Council and the Town Fund Grant Scheme, we have been able to install some brand new doors and alter our shop layout. As a small business located in the town, and possibly Ipswich's oldest retail shop (established way back in 1922), we have seen many changes over the decades.
“We are 100% committed to our town and playing our small part in its success. We always try to engage, be positive and get involved in our community. Nothing ever stays the same, but we keep pushing forward, and with your support will be here for many more years to come. We are immensely grateful for the contribution to the costs of these small works, it makes a big difference, not just to the bank balance, but also to the encouragement to us to invest in our shop.”
Mr Grimwood also noted it was particularly important to them that “the Grant the shop received was “spent 100% locally, putting that money straight back into our local economy.”
Elmy Cycles was founded on 30 January 1922, originally trading from a small converted front room in Back Hamlet, Ipswich. Over the years it adapted, selling cycles, prams, radios, even operating a petrol pump, and survived wartime, recessions, and changing retail landscapes to remain a fixture on St Helen’s Street.
Now still firmly independent, Elmy Cycles continues to offer a wide range of bicycles and services including repair, custom builds, and bike fitting, under Grimwood’s stewardship.