Almost anywhere can sell bikes. Lots of places do.

Old Town Bicycle, started in a Tacoma garage almost two decades ago by friends and cyclists Dylan Stanley and Dmitri Keating, sells more than just bikes.

Old Town Bicycle sells cycling, smiles, Tacoma and an underlying philosophy that a small, passionate, dedicated staff and store that are connected with the community will always be able to offer more than a major sporting goods conglomerate. Since its humble garage beginnings in the early '90s, Old Town Bicycle has opened three storefronts - a Gig Harbor location, the flagship Old Town location (which actually came after the Gig Harbor store, arriving in Old Town in 2002) and an Olympia location.

This year, marking a strong endorsement from the community it's so proud to be a part of, readers of the Weekly Volcano named Old Town Bicycle "Best Bike Shop" as part of Super Best of Tacoma 2011.

Tory Grant, manager of Old Town Bicycle's Tacoma location, says the biggest fundamental difference and key to success for Old Town Bicycle has been the business' desire to sell people the right bicycles and equipment, as opposed to just "stuff." True to form, a glance at the Old Town Bicycle shelves reveals a range from training-wheeled cruisers for the literal first-time peddlers on up to $5,000 road bikes.

"We've developed a clientele that absolutely trusts us," says Grant, who arrived at Old Town Bicycle 10 years ago and who has two decades in the cycling industry.

"One of our favorite things is to sell kids' bikes, family bikes," says Grant in illustration of this point. "Things like that are just as enjoyable to us as the fancy carbon bikes and the crazy expensive stuff." Grant says the store works hard to make sure it carries quality bikes in every price range.

But the success of Old Town Bicycle is only in part due to the bikes and equipment it offers. The store's homebred staff has also gone a long way toward endearing it to the community.

"There's only about six or seven of us, so it's very tight-knit," Grant says of Old Town Bicycle's team of employees. Like Grant, who originally fell in love with mountain biking growing up in the area, all of Old Town Bicycle's employees are passionately involved with bicycling at work and away from it. Herein lies another one of the undeniable appeals of Old Town Bicycle - it's a place for Tacoma cyclists to come together with other Tacoma cyclists.

"This is home. You get that with the people that ride here too," says Grant of his staff's views on Tacoma, as well as the customers that frequent the store.

"I would stack these guys against the biggest shops in New York or San Francisco," says Grant of the Old Town Bicycle crew. "They're top-notch guys. I feel very fortunate to have the staff we have."

[Old Town Bicycle, 3009 N. McCarver St., Tacoma, 253.573.9400]