Name shop: 360 Grad Sportshop
Location: Lohhof/Munich, Germany
Years in business: 28! years
Employees: 3
What was the reason for you to start a BMX shop?
360 Grad Sportshop: In 1990 there was no real BMX shop in the Munich area no more. As my friends and me were still riding and always needed spare parts, I started to order a bunch of spare parts, so we didn’t have to wait to get them via mailorder. As I was never really into working a regular (and boring) job, the idea of opening my own BMX store became more and more interesting. In 1991 I started the
Name shop: Peoplesstore
Location: Cologne Germany
Years in business: Roughly 10 years by now
Employees: Two and a half men and a bunch behind the scenes
Did you ever go to school to learn how to run a BMX business or did you just 'send it'?
Peoplesstore: No just kinda slid into it after moving to Cologne! To run a Bmx business there is no school for that, cause it's too different from a normal business.
Were your BMX industry contacts already made before you started your shop, or did you meet more people along the way?
Peoplesstore: Knew some before but met lots of interesting people on the way!
Who are some of the people that helped out in the beginning, setting up the BMX shop?
Peoplesstore: Harry, Klaus, Janosch, Bahar, Jan Heinen, Ed Docherty, Sandra, Rob Harrison, Paul Robinson, Hardy Spieß and many more.
Are Oldschool BMX parts some of your business?
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.