High gas prices pay off for some businesses
With gas prices hovering near $4 a gallon most of the summer, this was a banner year for Sportique Scooters - so much so that the store delayed moving to its new location until last week.
Sportique opens its doors at 523 S. Tejon St. on Tuesday. The shop was closed for a week while the scooters were wheeled over from the old location at 431 Pikes Peak Ave.
Great weather and expanded advertising didn't hurt either, said Matt Fisher, Sportique's sales manager, but those sky-high gas prices were an advertisement for scooters, which can get 80-100 mpg.
Fisher and bookeeper JB Penner talked about the new location and their record summer.
Question: Could you see an increase in sales every time gas prices went up this summer?
Fisher: Our foot traffic just went way up. We had more Web inquiries as well. I noticed a huge increase in general interest.
Q: Did you see any changes in who bought scooters? Are people buying scooters for fun or for practical reasons?
Penner: I think our demographic has always been people who want to park one of their cars and save a little gas.
Fisher: I would say, like, 75 percent practical, 25 percent lifestyle or image. It's always the first thing out of someone's mouth, "What's the mileage on this?" Even more so than, "How much does it cost?"
Q: You'd been at the old location on Pikes Peak Avenue for five years. Why move now?
Penner: It's a little bit bigger. Our service department will be quite a bit bigger.
Fisher: We actually have room for offices, too. We actually have a little more showroom space.
Penner: We're excited to be on this stretch of Tejon. There's so much going on here. I used to have customers come in (at the old location) and say, "I've lived here all my life. I didn't know you were here."
Q: Gas prices are falling just as summer ends. Is that the perfect scenario for selling scooters?
Fisher: We want to show people it's a worthwhile and fun purchase. We don't want to just look like we're banking on people's despair.
Q: How good was this summer?
Fisher: We've done double what we normally do in the busiest months.
Q: Are most people buying 50cc-engine scooters, which don't require a special license?
Fisher: I would say the majority of our sales are the 50cc machines. We do sell up to the 500cc models for people who live out in Black Forest or Falcon. A lot of people do get the larger machines. They feel safer because they can keep up with traffic.
Q: With gas prices falling and winter approaching, how do you keep up sales?
Fisher: We're just going to try different things with advertising. Keep it in people's minds even though in winter the weather gets cold.
Q: How cold does it have to be before you stop riding to work?
Fisher: Unless it's snowing, I ride.
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