Entrepreneurs / Small Business  January 6, 2015

Cranknstein owners: Find buyer or close the business

FORT COLLINS — The owners of Cranknstein, a bicycle shop/beer and espresso bar that also serves as a community meeting space in Fort Collins, plan to close the business in April if they can’t find a buyer.

Owners Susan Dalke and Evan Rau made the announcement Tuesday, saying in a prepared statement that they are “simply not the right people to see Cranknstein into the future.”

Cranknstein opened September 2011 at 215 N. College Ave., where Rau and Dalke lease space. Cranknstein sells vintage and custom bicycles, serves lunch, craft beers and espresso made with an in-house coffee roaster, and occasionally offers live music.

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It also serves as a community space where nonprofits and individuals meet to exchange ideas.

“I am proud that we have succeeded in creating a space for these things and the inspiring people who drive them,” Dalke said.

Cranknstein has hosted formal and informal events by local clubs, charities and advocacy groups. Dalke and Rau have supported local and national organizations with in-kind and monetary contributions, as well as donating their time to raise money for multiple sclerosis research, sustainability research at Colorado State University and to help those directly affected by the High Park Fire.

Rau said on Tuesday that the financial side of the business was not a factor in the decision to sell or close.

“We evaluated what we wanted in life, and one of those things was to spend more time with friends and family outside the business. Right now, we don’t have much time for that,” Dalke said.

Rau said he and Dalke are interested in discussing Cranknstein’s future with interested parties. “We don’t want to just sell it off, but to find the kind of person who cares as much as we do about doing things the right way.”

Dalke and Rau spent six months building most of the interior of the business. With the help of family and friends, they disassembled a barn in Severence and used the wood to cover the walls and construct a 27-foot bar. They polished the 3,740-square-foot concrete floor with a 21-inch floor scrubber, and Rau taught himself to weld by building the Cranknstein sign that can be seen on the front of the building.

James Graef, who owns and operates On The Edge Tuning, a ski and snowboard repair and service shop, subleases space from Cranknstein. Graef said he closes the seasonal shop from about May to August and likely will be reopening in the fall at a new location.

FORT COLLINS — The owners of Cranknstein, a bicycle shop/beer and espresso bar that also serves as a community meeting space in Fort Collins, plan to close the business in April if they can’t find a buyer.

Owners Susan Dalke and Evan Rau made the announcement Tuesday, saying in a prepared statement that they are “simply not the right people to see Cranknstein into the future.”

Cranknstein opened September 2011 at 215 N. College Ave., where Rau and Dalke lease space. Cranknstein sells vintage and custom bicycles, serves lunch, craft beers and espresso made with an in-house coffee roaster, and occasionally offers…

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