When all was said and done, Sun Country Cycle only moved a kilometre.
But what a difference that kilometre makes.
The re-location puts Sun Country nearer the start Okanagan Rail Trail -- the most spectacular, lake-hugging, linear park and biking trail in the Valley -- and next to 978-hectare Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, a mountain biking mecca.
To get technical, the address is actually 16500 Kalamalka Rd. in Coldstream.
"Really, we moved to have a nicer, newer, purpose-built store and shop," said owner Ricardo Smith.
"That we are closer to the Okanagan Rail Trail and Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park and Kalamalka Beach are all really awesome bonuses."
For 39 years, Sun Country Cycle thrived at its original location a little further north on the Vernon stretch of Kalamalka Lake Road.
But, 2023 prompted a move to the future.
"We wanted to have something that was bigger than Sun Country Cycle," said Smith.
"The bike business was on an upswing and then the pandemic just poured fuel on the fire. Now, at our new shop, we're coming off the frenzy and returning to normal stock levels. Here, in our new location, we'll be able to be a bigger part of the community."
Not that Sun Country hasn't already been a big part of the community.
For the past few years, Sun Country has partnered with KalaVida Surf Shop at Kalamalka Beach (13908 Kalamalka Rd.), which is close to the beginning of the Okanagan Rail Trail.
Sun Country provides the rental electric, cruiser and kids' bikes at KalaVida that are a hot commodity for cycling the rail trail.
Currently, there are no rental bikes at the new location at 16500 Kalamalka Rd.
The store and shop will concentrate on selling new road, mountain, cruiser, electric and kids' bikes, selling accessories and apparel and servicing, repairing and maintaining bikes.
The new building, designed by Jay Gillman of BlueCrow Architecture and constructed by Win and Sons, is shaped like a combination of vintage bicycle frame, train station and classic barn in keeping with its purpose and location near the old trail line and in the North Okanagan agricultural region.
Sun Country's new logo also graces the building.
It's a stylized ponderosa pine cone incorporating the outline of a mountain bike's tire tread, again a nod to the company's purpose and location.
The logo is the work of local graphic designer Sean McConkey and it was installed on the side of the building by Vernon's SpeedPro Signs.
While Sun Country has cycle right in its name, it also sells cross-country skis and snowshoes.
Sun Country Cycle is connected to Coldstream Station, the under-development facility that will include car parking for rail trail users as well as public washrooms, an event plaza, visitor information and water bottle fill station.
Smith is stoked about Coldstream Station opening soon.
"We'd like to see a Friday night market with vendors and food trucks in the parking lot," said Smith.
"It all goes back to creating a space, a scene, an environment that people want to be a part of. We want to see people riding their bicycles to a new Friday night market and buying things, stopping at the Rail Trail Cafe for ice cream and going to the beach. This could be a place where the community is alive and vibrant."
