30th Century Bicycle owner Steve Goetzelman announced on his Facebook profile today that he plans to close his popular downtown Iowa City bike shop on Valentine’s Day. The business has offered new and used bikes, accessories and repairs since it opened on Earth Day 2009.
“Those are the fun things you get to do when you’re the owner; you get to choose your own destiny,” Goetzelman said.
He said as time went on things like having time off on the holidays became more compelling: “You know, when people are off work on Memorial Day, and they still get paid for that?! That’s amazing. I want to experience that.”
He said liquidation of all inventory and tools starts immediately at his shop at 312 E Prentiss St in Iowa City.
For his next steps, Goetzelman who was a Category 2 cyclist in the USA Bicycling circuit, said he thinks he’ll be staying in the bike business, maybe working with a bike brand, but couldn’t share details at this time.
The shop has had several employees over the years that Goetzelman credited with having helped it last so long.