RM, best of luck to you and your shop. I've worked in local bike shops, and several that I used to work in have long since closed up. It's a shame that folks don't see the connection between small businesses that pay living wages to their staff and slightly higher prices. I say, if you go to Walmart-Performance type stores, you don't have a right to complain when the local bike shop goes out of business. They rely on customers, and we are the customers.

I haven't checked with my favorite bike shop in Maryland for while since I moved away. I hope the shop is doing okay--any DCers know how Proteus is doing?