by Vanessa McCracken
Discount offer from Sunnyside Bicycles at the end of this post!
—Your staff is amazing! Thanks for the great service!
—We had so much fun on the bike ride you organized! We can’t wait to go on another one!
We love hearing comments like these from our customers, and we consider ourselves pretty lucky that we get to hear them pretty regularly. Since opening our first bike shop in 2002, we have worked hard to do and be our best. We are constantly evolving, continuously educating ourselves, and improving our business. We are relentless in our pursuit of excellence, constantly pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones to do right by our customers and employees. We are always super grateful when our customers recognize and appreciate our effort!
Of course, we wouldn’t be able to push past our boundaries and grow as a business without the partnership of customers who believe in us and appreciate our vision. We could not have stayed in business the last 14 years without the customers who choose to invest their money in their communities by opting to shop locally instead of online. We couldn’t afford to pay salaries and benefits for our excellent staff without people making a conscious decision to spend their money in a locally owned small business, and refer their friends and family to us. The rides, the Sunnyside Gives Back program, the donations—none of this happens without people seeing and understanding the value of the quality of service we offer.
Which is why, as a small business owner, it is always hard to hear some of the same people who make those comments above also comment on some “great deal” they got online or how they saved two bucks by getting something at a big-box store. We recently had a customer bring in a box of parts for us to install that he purchased online because they were cheaper—-or so he thought: turns out, with his club discount and rewards, he actually spent more online than if he had bought them from us! I struggle when someone who values the level of precision with which our mechanics work doesn’t see the correlation between shopping with us and employing them versus giving his money away online. I am genuinely dumbfounded when someone keeps ordering the wrong part online and would rather deal with the hassle of trial and error instead of just buying the correct part the first time from one of our experts. I have a hard time understanding when someone thanks me for opening my business in their town and giving back to their community, but buys all their stuff elsewhere. 
Look, obviously the onus is on us and our team to earn everyone’s business. I totally get that. We all work tremendously hard to do just that. I completely understand the magnetism of a perceived “good” deal. (Low price does not necessarily equal good deal. Sorry, I’m compelled to say it.) But I also get that we all play an important role in the communities in which we live. We all get to decide what kind of community we create, and where we choose to spend our money shapes our community more than most people probably care to realize.
Do you want to live in a community barren of locally owned small businesses? Do you want to live in a neighborhood with inadequate police and fire protection? Do you want your friend, family member, or neighbor to succeed when they pour their life savings into making their dream of owning a small business a reality? Do you like living in a town with great local restaurants and coffee bars? Do you appreciate the expert advice provided at a local business, the kind of advice only a craftsman could offer? Do you like friendly, personable, courteous and professional service? You get to choose what your community looks like, and you get to mold it with every purchasing decision you make! 
Locally owned small businesses are essential to healthy, thriving communities. We live here, we are invested here, and we are all working our tails off to serve you well and take care of our employees well, too. If you appreciate a local small business, please be sure to demonstrate your support by shifting some of your purchases there. Small businesses will disappear without your support. Pause before you click “buy now” and consider the impact your purchasing decisions make on the vitality of your community. We are all in this together! 
Mention this article and take $15 off any $50 purchase. (May not be combined with other offers. Offer expires September 30, 2016.)
Bonus offer: Mention that you support local business and get a free high five! (Bonus offer unlimited and never expires.)
Watch for Sunnyside Bicycles column every month here at KRL! And learn more on their website.
Sunnyside Bicycles Fresno is at 6105 E. Kings Canyon Road (Kings Canyon/Fowler next to GB3 and Baked Sunnyside) and can be reached at 559-255-7433.
Sunnyside Bicycles Reedley is at 1760 11th Street (off the bike trail between G and I) and can be reached at 559-726-2153.
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