Last orders for oldest bike shop in England

  • 2013-12-06
A 173-year-old bicycle shop that once served Charles Darwin is set to close.

Howes Cycles of Cambridge set up as John Howes & Sons on Regent Street in 1840, and has held the title of England’s oldest bicycle shop for some time.

The shop’s founder was originally a coachbuilder before turning his attention to bicycles. The present owner, Michael, is his great-great-great-grandson.

According to Cambridge News, the 65-year-old is sad that the business is coming to an end in the next few weeks.

Michael took over the running of Howes Cycles back in 1970, having already helped out there while he was a child.

Speaking to Cambridge News, Michael would not try to guess how many bicycles have been bought at the shop in its three-century-spanning lifetime, although he does have a record of all the models sold – one of which went to the Victorian naturalist Charles Darwin.

The newspaper ran a story about the business in 1971, highlighting how the family members were ‘determined’ to uphold the shop’s traditions as set out by their ancestors. It further described how its owners were enthusiastic about service, and how the new premises were equipped to provide repairs to any brand of bike.

For small businesses working in any sector, professional printing services become doubly important in the final weeks of trading. Banners can be used to alert passers-by to a closing down sale and flyer printing, in Cambridge and elsewhere, gives business managers an easy way of driving up foot traffic.

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