A lot of Route 66 businesses need a gimmick to draw customers. The Fanning 66 Outpost in Missouri once boasted the World’s Largest Rocker. Pops in Arcadia, Oklahoma, boasts the world’s largest soda bottle.
The Velo in Claremont, California, goes the other direction, claiming its other nickname as the World’s Smallest Bike Shop. At just 55 square feet, anyone would be hard-pressed to shrink a permanent structure to less than that.
According to Bicycling magazine, owner Dale Mattson owns the place at 242 W. Foothill Blvd. (aka Route 66) in Claremont. In addition to the “World’s Smallest Bike Shop” tag, he’s known in the region for the “Cash for Bikes” sign he puts in the store’s window.
Although he’s a longtime cyclist and natural-born mechanic, Mattson didn’t set out to open a bike shop in such a cozy location. He’d originally planned to open an antique store; after decorating the storefront with beautifully dilapidated Schwinns, however, enough students from the nearby college stopped in to ask if he worked on bikes that he decided the universe was sending him a sign.
The Route 66-adjacent “Cash for Bikes” sign, modeled on ubiquitous “Cash for Gold” ads, was the stroke of genius that got Mattson started. From the moment Mattson put it in front of the shop, people started bringing him old bikes to refurbish and sell—including many he’s not interested in buying. When that happens, Mattson convinces the owners to donate their bikes, which he then fixes up for needy kids.
The World’s Smallest Bike Shop doesn’t sell new bicycles, and most of its business comes from repairs. It doesn’t have extensive parts stock, but Mattson knows where to make referrals and often gets plenty of customers for basic maintenance — including a same-day wash, detail and tune-up for $45.
And based on the reviews on Yelp, Mattson provides pretty good service.
Historian Keith Watkins dug up more history behind Mattson and his tiny shop:
In his 20s, after working as a mortgage banker, Dale had quit his job and traveled around the United States on his touring bike, using cash he’d saved. In 1995, he leased this tiny space on Foothill Boulevard and went into business, first as “Cash for Levis,” then as a futon shop, then incense, and then mid-century and modern antiques. “I’ve been a junker all my life,” is the way he described himself.
“When I was thinking about getting out of antiques, someone offered me nine dead Schwinns for $50. That was June 2008. On July 19 of the same year I went strictly bikes and opened The Velo.”
Mattson rides a 1955 Olmo bicycle with a lot of changes. He calls it his “steampunk bike.”
(Image of The Velo in Claremont, California, via Facebook)