To be honest with you, working on a beautiful spring day sucks.  Immensely.  Stepping out every half hour or so to catch some sun doesn’t help much- it’s just a tease.  So as I sat pounding away at the keyboard entering products, uploading photos, etc, etc, I looked up at the window & saw a great site- two Goodyear blimps- one it the store and one in the sky.  My day of work was made much better…and it gave me a much needed blog topic.  Enjoy!

We are quite excited to welcome Blimp City Bike & Hike to the community of locally-owned businesses, and to announce that they are now a destination for Rubber City Clothing t-shirts!  Opening today, Blimp City Bike & Hike is the brainchild of Akronite Andy Bixenstine.  He’s created a one-stop shop for all your outdoor adventure needs.  You can find equipment for biking & hiking, as well as apparel & accessories; plus a GREAT selection of Rubber City Clothing t-shirts.  Stop down to the Valley- 1720 Merriman Rd, Unit A and welcome this new business to the area!

Here is the official press release for the new shop:

Blimp City Bike & Hike to Hold Grand Opening in Akron

Shop features bicycles and outdoor apparel; will open for business the weekend of Nov. 27-29

AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ — Given today’s difficult economic climate, small business ownership represents a challenging endeavor for anyone, much less a young, untested entrepreneur. But for Akron native Andy Bixenstine, 26, the decision to open a bicycle shop in his hometown was much like riding a bike, itself - productive, satisfying and nearly effortless.

Bixenstine is proud to announce the grand opening of Blimp City Bike & Hike (BCB), a full-service retail shop specializing in selling, servicing and renting quality bicycles. Located at 1720 Unit A Merriman Rd. on the Towpath Trail in Akron’s Merriman Valley business district, BCB will open for business just in time for the holiday shopping season the weekend of Nov. 27-29.

“On behalf of the greater Akron community and bicycle enthusiasts everywhere, it’s with tremendous pleasure that I announce the opening of Blimp City Bike & Hike, ‘Akron’s Headquarters for Adventure at Home,’” said Bixenstine. “BCB fulfills the need for a bicycle shop in west Akron, and I’m excited to serve the community by offering a dynamic product line that will have something to offer every bicyclist, no matter what age, interest or skill level.”

BCB will feature bicycles from several up-and-coming brands within the industry, including Kona and Felt, and a wide range of bicycle accessories to complement a full-service repair shop and extensive rental offerings. In addition to bicycle-related merchandise, BCB also will sport outdoor apparel, footwear and accessories from leading brands within the outdoor specialty industry.

Despite being a twenty-something entrepreneur without prior business ownership experience, Bixenstine has lofty expectations for his upstart bicycle shop. He intends for BCB to promote healthy living, serve as an environmentally-friendly business and help bolster the greater Akron economy.

“I’ve aspired to own my own business almost as long as I’ve been riding bikes,” Bixenstine said. “I take great pride in being an ‘Akronite,’ and it’s my hope that Blimp City Bike & Hike will enable me to give back to the community that has given me so much.”

About Blimp City Bike & Hike

Blimp City Bike & Hike (BCB), “Akron’s Headquarters for Adventure at Home,” is a full-service bicycle shop dedicated to offering exceptional customer service and competitive pricing. In addition to selling, servicing and renting quality bikes, BCB carries a full line of footwear, apparel and accessories from the outdoor specialty industry. Founded in 2009, BCB is located in Akron, Ohio, at 1720 Unit A Merriman Rd. in the Merriman Valley business district on the Towpath Trail at the southern border of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. For more information, please call 330-836-6600 or visit http://www.blimpcitybikeandhike.com.

Media Contact:
Matt Bixenstine
Public Relations Specialist
+1-330-571-1797
Matt@blimpcitybikeandhike.com

SOURCE Blimp City Bike & Hike

I woke up this morning and thought, I’m not going to blog today.  Okay, that really wasn’t my first thought (I do have a life the 4 hours/week I’m not here), but when I got in today I figured I’d take today off from the bullsheet.  Obviously that did not happen.  I came upon something so incredibly awesome, I had to blog.

Yesterday on Facebook I posted a little something about our ‘Big Blimpin’ design.  I was working on the creative text for all of the RCCReRun designs on Zazzle.com, and was kind of drawing a blank when it came to ‘BB’.  I knew I had to do something with Jay-Z’s ‘Big Pimpin’, but I wasn’t quite sure how to fit Akronish lyrics in.  I texted my dear friend Matthew in Brooklyn who is the biggest Jay-Z fan I know, to maybe give me a little insight on the song.  Since he doesn’t know Akron and probably still assumes it’s farmland (no matter how many times I tell him), I didn’t get much help.  So, I left it to the masses, and boy did they deliver.

It started off with RCC fan Gwen giving us a little line of “We be Big Blimpin’ in the AK-Rowdy,
Big Blimpin’ at the RCC.”  This was great.  I kept trying to think of something to rhyme with “Big Blimpin’, spending cheese” (’cause that’s what ya do here), and I don’t know why I didn’t think of using our initials ‘RCC’.  Thank you Gwen!  But then Hannah, a very devoted RCC fan wrote THE ENTIRE song lyrics.  I shit you not.  See below to see what I am going to go out and say is the greatest song about Akron.  ‘AK-Rowdy’ by V.E.C. was great, and The Pretenders’ ‘My City Was Gone’ isn’t exactly a pride song, so yeah…best Akron song ever!

Big Blimpin’ by Hannah Rose Otterman

You know I buy ‘em, wear ‘em love’ em’ need ‘em
Yeah I freakin need ‘em…
In or out the hood
keep ‘em lookin good
But I don’t freakin steal ‘em
Rubber City threads any season
talking ’bout whats the reasons
Rubber City on every day of the week, pimp
Better trust ‘em and believe ‘em
in my closets where I keep ‘em
’til I need a shirt
’til I need have a hoodie on
then its what what and I’m tryin ‘em on
Maybe I’ll wear “Akron Witnessed First”
Or my new sweet Route 8 shirt
I look so good it hurts
I’m a wear red
I be livin it up
Yall be frontin
Me give my heart to another
city no way
I’ll be forever Akron
Where the weak are killed and eaten
Where LeBron started ballin
near Summit Mall and
Rubber City Clothing yall

Lets RI-I-I-I-I-IDE
in the blimp now
RI-I-I-I-I-IDE
yeah
Lets RI-I-I-I-I-IDE
in the blimp now
RI-I-I-I-I-IDE
yeah

We doin’ Big Blimpin with RCC (Check ‘em out now)
Big Blimpin over Market Street
We Doin’ Big Blimpin in AK-ROWDY
Home of Chrissy Hynde, DEVO and The Black Keys
Check the Webpage…

It’s the Goodyear Blimp shirts first song yall
From airdock to shirt Rubber City Clothing yall
Look up in the sky and there it go
Look up at my shirt yeah you know
See me in Highland Square oh
In my brand new t shirt yo
Now every time, every place, everywhere i go
people start pointing at 3-3-0

We got Chris Bryant Jumpin’ cars on TV
Thats not all theres you and me
and if you like the shirt that I rock I tell you where it be
down the street Rubber City Clothing
Go buy a shirt, you want one, and step up your wardrobe
Don’t be surprised who talks to you
When you buy one downtown or two
Rubber City is fabulous so represent yall
sport the blimp Spring, Summer, Winter or Fall
Just wear it

You can’t pretend we don’t look good with this brand on
Now get yourself to the store
18 N. High Street lemme get my shop on
Save Rolling Acres Mall yeah that was a good one
Where is the shirt that I came here for… Read More
The one with the Blimp yo
As I start to shop my wallet be open like ozone
Then I go to Luigis for dinner man
It really don’t get no better man
Don’t trip, Get the blimp, throw it on pimp
Then wear it proudly thanks RCC man

We doin’ Big Blimpin with RCC (Check ‘em out now)
Big Blimpin off West Market Street
We Doin’ Big Blimpin in AK-ROWDY
Home of Akron U, and a kangaroo known as Zippy
Check the Webpage

We doin’ Big Blimpin with RCC
Big Blimpin on North High Street
We be Big Blimpin at the Soap Box Derby
with Gangloff, Everhart, and Kanakaredes

New stuff in my bag, love my Rubber City swag
All got the star and RCC
In my hood, A k Rowdy
Everybody wanna wear, do 2 at a time if you dare
Get your own I don’t share

If I wasn’t rappin baby I’d be ridin Goodyear baby
In this All American City baby
Ridin’, flyin’, blimpin’ baby
Internet or store shoppin daily
Uh, now what y’all know bout them Akronites … Read More
We like Chicken and Jo Jos and our shirts are a’ight

We be Big Blimpin with RCC
We be Big Blimpin’ in our brand new tees
We be Big Blimpin’ in Ak-Rowdy
Rubber City C-L-O-T-H-I-N-G

We be Big Blimpin with RCC
We be Big Blimpin’ in our brand new tees
We be Big Blimpin’ in Ak-Rowdy
Rubber City C-L-O-T-H-I-N-G

This is so awesome, it brings a little tear to my eye.  Like the song?  Let us know!  Maybe we can get this recorded!  Jay-Z has snuck into town a few times to hang out with LeBron, maybe V.E.C. is looking to do something new, or perhaps some fresh talent would like to lay down these fantastic lyrics.  Plus, maybe we can get a big enough following for a Big Blimpin’ comeback! Big Blimpin’ baby!