Glendi Higgins, photographed above, was on the front end of a giant trend. He had the first bicycle shop in Greensboro. He started selling bikes in the late 50's and by the early 60's had a bicycle shop on Spring Garden Street across from Yum Yum's Ice Cream Shop. By the early 1970's, UNCG was expanding and needed his property to accommodate their growth. Undaunted, Mr. Higgins built his store in its current location on Battleground Avenue, across from what is now Cookout and Omega Sports. Mr. Higgins had owned the land since 1951. Originally, the property had a church with a parsonage beside it and there was nothing but woods across the street. Before long, an A&P grocery store went up and the woods went down. Now, the neighborhood has changed completely and, at 85 years old, Mr. Higgins is one of the rare keepers of knowledge about Battleground Avenue in mid-20th century Greensboro. He is also one of those rare folks who is not too busy to take the time to talk to customers.
We stopped in to look for a used bicycle and were impressed with his inventory, which is very reasonably priced. You can get a good used bike for $100. It may not be the trendiest name and latest carbon-fiber technology; however, if you need something reliable to get you from Point A to Point B, you cannot beat Mr. Higgins' offerings. UNCG students still flock to him to find a bike they can use during their time in Greensboro and, upon graduation, they know where they can go to sell back their bike. Mr. Higgins is the epitome of entrepreneurship and "keeping-it-local." Today is ABC Wednesday and for our ABC Local series, H is for Higgins Cycle Shop; Higgins Lock and Key.
Very interesting!
Posted by: Lea | Wednesday, March 04, 2015 at 08:08 AM
A number of my son's bikes came from Higgins. Glad he's still in business.
Posted by: Jane T. Mitchell | Wednesday, March 04, 2015 at 11:53 AM
He looks like quite a character.
Posted by: William Kendall | Wednesday, March 04, 2015 at 12:30 PM
I SO love this store. I'd be there if it were closer
Posted by: Roger Green | Wednesday, March 04, 2015 at 01:59 PM