Fresh new location for D.C. retail chain

FAIRFAX, VA (BRAIN)—D.C.-area retailer Freshbikes has opened a new store in Fairfax, Virginia, its first location outside the Washington Beltway.

Freshbikes operates two other stores, in Arlington, Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland. The new Fairfax location gets the retailer into a more suburban market.

“We’ll have a better opportunity to do more lifestyle products, but the key for us was getting outside the Beltway and seeing a new type of customer,” said Freshbikes co-owner Scott McAhren.

That will mean more flat-bar road bikes than at his other locations, but the 3,500-square-foot Fairfax shop will still maintain Freshbikes’ focus on performance road and tri from brands including Cannondale, Pinarello, Specialized and Cervélo, he added.

“The cool thing is the entire store is custom fixtures, custom design. It’s a new look I hope to bring to our other stores,” McAhren said.

The new look includes bamboo finishes and other sustainable materials, plus bright LED lighting to highlight Freshbikes’ green color scheme.

As at Freshbikes’ other locations, product is laid out with accessibility top of mind. “Our big thing has always been no double-decker racks. I want people to be able to pick up every one of our bikes,” McAhren said.

The Fairfax store soft-opened Sept. 7, with a grand opening planned for Oct. 13.