Wheeling and dealing in Harrison County: Fat Tire Cycle & Sport branches out with new Bridgeport location

BUCKHANNON – Area bicycle enthusiasts: You can get a wheel deal in Bridgeport now, too.

On Saturday, the longtime Buckhannon bike shop, Fat Tire Cycle & Sport, opened new doors for a second location in Bridgeport, offering Harrison County customers the opportunity to shop bicycles, camping products and supplies for outdoor adventures.

And although the shop has expanded out-of-county, the owner of the downtown Buckhannon business wants Buckhannon-Upshur residents to know he has no intention of closing the business’s doors.

Matt Bennett, who took ownership of Fate Tire Cycle and Sport back in 2017, said he believed the original owners opened shop in Buckhannon back in 1998. Though the more than 20-year-old business has been under new ownership for the past two years, Bennett said it has stayed almost identical concept laid out by original and longtime owner Gene Wells.

Except for the second location to Bridgeport.

Bennett said he started making a plan to add a location in Bridgeport last year.

“The economics of Bridgeport are a huge factor and the population of Bridgeport,” he said. “Bridgeport is an incredibly active community. People are running and biking up here constantly, so we knew that coming in.”

Folks visiting the Bridgeport location can find similar product lines and merchandise available in the Buckhannon shop.

“We may eventually carry more brands up here depending on how the first year goes,” he said. “We’ll see if we can bring on additional brands … Our camping equipment and stuff will be up here now, which didn’t sell very well in Buckhannon, so we brought all of that up here.”

Winding down just a month at 317 South Virginia Avenue, Bennett said Bridgeport has welcomed Fat Tire Cycle with open arms.

“It’s steadily gotten busier every day we’ve been here,” he said. “We’ve already moved products within the first couple days that we couldn’t move in Buckhannon at all, so it’s kind of what we thought. It’s worked out pretty good so far.”

Most importantly, Bennett wants locals to know the downtown Buckhannon business isn’t going anywhere.

“The biggest thing is for people in Buckhannon and that area to know that we’re going to keep it open as long as we can, as long as it’s profitable and doable, we’re going to keep it open,” he said.

Hours for the Buckhannon location have been reduced a bit with doors being open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Hours for the Bridgeport location will be 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday. To keep abreast of updates, find Fat Tire Cycle & Sport on Facebook.