Bike shop to work on future location

A Roanoke County bike shop is almost ready to begin work on its future location on the Roanoke River Greenway .

East Coasters Bike Shop last year purchased from Roanoke the old Virginia Museum of Transportation along Wiley Drive in the Wasena neighborhood.

The building is a shell, and bike shop owner Wes Best has said he will need to invest about $500,000 to install heating and cooling, a new electrical system, plumbing and more.

Best wants to keep the interior much the same as a tribute to the building’s history, and so those who visited the 35-year-old building when it was the museum will still recognize some features. Workers won’t touch the exposed rafters, and the floor — which is part brick and part concrete — will stay, Best said.

The plans call for a 700-square-foot cafe that will sell sandwiches, wraps and beverages, Best said. The cafe will have a 1,000-square-foot deck for patrons.

Best is in the process of working out a lease with the cafe’s operator, who he said has experience in the restaurant business. Best did not want to disclose more details about the cafe and its operator until the lease is finalized.

Before work can begin, the plans for the building are being reviewed by the city’s department of planning, building and development.

When the plans are approved, Best can apply for building permits and work can begin. Best estimates it may be a month before that happens. He expects to open the new shop in early fall, he said.

The current shop at Promenade Park, near the intersection of Colonial Avenue and Electric Road, will close when the new shop opens.

Print shop to open

A print shop franchise has again opened in the Roanoke area.

Minuteman Press closed on Williamson Road in the early 2000s, when the franchise owner retired.

Now, another man has bought the franchise rights and has opened a Minuteman Press in southwest Roanoke County.

The new owner, Bill Kyle, has a background in architecture and spent 25 years designing stores for companies such as Office Depot and, most recently, Advance Auto.

As much as he enjoyed his career in architecture, he said the idea of having his own business was always in the back of his mind. He began researching possibilities two years ago and decided he wanted to open a franchise because of the support it would provide him.

He cho se to open Minuteman Press because he liked the company, and he liked that a print shop would give him an opportunity to help customers find solutions for their printing needs. And, he figured, every business needs some type of printing.

Kyle said he hired one employee who brings with him 35 years of experience in the printing business.

The print shop is at Springwood Park, near the intersection of Brambleton Avenue and Electric Road, next to Bubblecake.

Minuteman Press offers services including copying, wedding invitations and binding.

Salem getting Family Dollar

A Family Dollar store will open in Salem this winter.

Construction on the building at 2839 W. Main St., at the intersection with Butt Hollow Road, was scheduled to begin last week, said Family Dollar spokeswoman Bryn Winburn.

The 8,300-square-foot store is expected to open by the end of the year. An exact opening date will be determined closer to the completion of the building, Winburn said.

The store will hire about 10 employees. It is one of 500 stores the company is opening this year, Winburn said.

Rich, Rich and Phillips, a North Carolina developer, purchased the West Main Street property for $268,000, according to a news release from Thalhimer, which handled the sale for the developer. Family Dollar will lease the building from the developer, said Bob Copty, a broker with Thalhimer.

The property was at one time a used car lot but has been vacant for some time, Copty said.

The Salem store is just one of several dollar stores to come to the area recently, including two other Family Dollar stores. Family Dollar opened a store at Roanoke-Salem Plaza on Melrose Avenue in March, and another store at the Williamson Road Plaza at the intersection with Hildebrand Road in April.

A Dollar Tree also opened on Williamson Road in March.

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