our history
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 We’ve been around the block quite a few times.
Founded in 1917, Rowlett’s has served Richmond
for over 90 years. Originally located on Broad Street between
First and Second streets, Rowlett’s was a full-line sporting goods
business, with three floors and a basement packed with hunting
and fishing equipment, sporting goods, toys, sleds and skates,
and, of course, bicycles.As business shifted to the newly developing West End in the late fifties, Rowlett’s was one of the early pioneers, opening a branch in a new building at Staples Mill and West Broad Street in 1959, about the same time as the opening of Richmond’s first big suburban shopping center, nearby Willow Lawn. In 1961 the old downtown store was closed, and everything was packed into the Staples Mill Road store, with the addition of a full line of boats and motors. As the seventies moved into the eighties, the emphasis moved more and more to bicycles, and in 1991 the last of the old sporting goods lines was eliminated as Rowlett’s transformed itself into a truly full-line bicycle shop. Today, still in it’s Staples Mill Road location - now more central than west end Rowlett’s continues it’s tradition of great service and selection, a knowledgeable staff with personal attention to every customer. |
ROWLETT'S DOWNTOWN SHOWROOM CIRCA 1948 |
changes along the way:
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© 2007 - 2008 copyright Rowlett's Bicycles all rights reserved