Local Shops Grow Nationwide

At least three local businesses -- Cosmic Cantina, Performance Bicycle Inc. and Adam & Eve -- have discovered new niches outside of their Chapel Hill or Carrboro homes in the past five years.

Cosmos Lyle, creator and owner of Cosmic Cantina, decided to expand his operation to New York City during the summer of 2001.

Despite the fact that the economy was in the early throes of a recession, Lyle decided to launch the business on the national scale after running two thriving stores in Durham and Chapel Hill. "I really like New York," Lyle said. "I thought I might as well have a financial reason for being here."

The New York restaurant, located at 101 Third Ave. in Manhattan, caters to its new patrons with later nighttime hours, a more varied selection and higher prices than its Chapel Hill and Durham counterparts typically offer.

"The prices are a little higher, and there are a few more specials, like the Big Apple Salad," Lyle said. "We also stay open until 5 a.m. because the bars don't close until 4 a.m."

Creating new branches is a challenging and sometimes risky decision for small businesses because of regional differences between states, Lyle said.

But Lyle said he is confident the business move will be successful because his consumer base continues to grow.

He said he relies heavily on the feeling of a universal collegiate atmosphere to ensure Cosmic Cantina's success. "It's kind of a test to see if a concept can be carried to different locations," Lyle said. "You only begin to know the market once you open."

Lyle said he is planning other forays into unknown territories in the future, with potential restaurant locations at the University of Miami or the University of Virginia.

Another business that has made its way out into the world is Performance Bicycle, which grew from a single small Carrboro shop in Garry and Sharon Snooks' basement into a thriving nationally recognized supplier.

"They started about 20 years ago in the basement of their home," said Kimberly Lesner, the secretary for the Snooks' bicycle shop. "But they currently have 43 stores across the country, and they just acquired seven more in the past two weeks."

Lesner said the business's ability to expand is due in part to the wide variety of markets that the Snooks have made practical and accessible for consumers.

"The mail-order division of the company creates a lot of business," Lesner said. "And everything is shipped from our warehouse here in Chapel Hill."

Mail orders -- both online and over the phone -- have prompted success for another business that began its existence in Chapel Hill -- Adam & Eve.

The store, which now has customers across the country, began supplying adult products to other states from a shop on Franklin Street in 1972 and recently took its business to another level.

Phil Harvey, president and CEO of Adam & Eve's parent company, Phil Harvey Enterprises, said his aim has been expansion from the beginning. "We currently have an adult products catalogue business that we were planning to set up as soon as the store first opened in Chapel Hill," Harvey said.

But Harvey also said that his growing business forced him to leave Chapel Hill in search of greener pastures and more space for the store's warehouse.

"We were essentially zoned out of the previous location and not able to expand, so we moved to Hillsborough," he said.

"We just needed more space."

The City Editor can be reached

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