Community Bikes and Boards is practicing what its name preaches.
HADDONFIELD -- Kings Highway has hosted bicycle and board shops before. Problem is, they never seem to stay too long.
The owner of Community Bikes and Boards, which opened its doors this June in an expansion from a Philadelphia location, said he has a plan for their business to be more resilient, to have people keep coming back for more.
"It's just about getting out there," owner Rob Everitt said Friday. "I thought that was always missing."
"They just don't do enough to promote just getting out there and riding," he added of an inclusive approach of immersing his business in -- wait for it -- the "community."
Everitt, who lives in Philadelphia's Fishtown section, has had a store at 4th and Bainbridge streets in South Philly for a little more than five years now. After seeing an opening for a location in Haddonfield, he got in touch with borough officials to see what it would take to open this new shop.
"This place was stuck in 1993," he said of the store that was completely gutted to make way for specialized mountain bikes, beach cruisers, high-end commuter bikes, long boards, surf boards and plenty more.
"So many people come in here and say, 'I feel like I'm on vacation,'" he said of the shop that certainly has a boardwalk feel to it.
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But Everitt said aesthetics alone isn't going to "keep the lights on," as he puts it. At least three skateboard shops have come and gone from Haddonfield's main drag and a bicycle shop near the PATCO station has a "for lease" sign in the window, he said.
"You're doing it right. You're putting in the work," a former owner of one of those since-closed skateboard shops recently told him.
That work includes picking up and dropping off bicycles for tune-ups, weekly rides of all skill levels, free coffee and beer in the shop, trips to the shore, launching a surfing club in the high school and a diversified amount of product for all interests and skill levels.
"We want more beginners to come in," he said. "You're gonna get love."
Collingswood resident Jill Mumie swung by Friday morning to pick up a Kryptonite bicycle U-lock. She remembers going to Haddonfield's former Kinetic skate shop for help and said she'd rather support local operations that are "giving back to the community."
As others came through Friday morning to just talk shop, Everitt's idea of getting everyone involved started to ring true.
"I think the suburbs is where this concept will really shine."
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.