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How might we restore vibrancy in cities and regions facing economic decline? Read the challenge brief

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Shops On Wheels

Like food trucks, mobile shops lower barriers to entry and encourage entrepreneurship. In China and other areas of Asia, "shops on wheels" not only provide a means of income, they also promote bicycle lanes and flexible street use.
With significantly lower financial risks, mobile eateries are often the ideal option for entrepreneurs in the food industry. Via food trucks, some business have even gathered enough capital and support to open fixed location restaurants (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/in-dc-some-food-truck-operators-begin-to-move-into-restaurants/2011/07/06/gIQAUF8M7H_story.html). 
Why limit this business model to only food?

In Shanghai, "shops on wheels" are a common sight. Like food trucks, they travel from place to place...except on a four-wheel worksman cycle. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this model of operation. However, shops on wheels have an indirect impact that are often unnoticed: promotion/preservation of bicycle lanes. 
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Szilvia Varga

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December 04, 2011, 05:06PM
I believe a next step for people making a living by selling goods from their bikes is when they open up garage shops in their homes. This is widely common both in China and India where you can see full streets where people work in garage shops ranging from tailors, tiny restaurants, bike repair shops, etc.

By the way, I didn't get why this phenomenon helps keep bicycle lanes. As far as I have seen in China bike lanes are rather busy with electric bikes ever since regular bicycles are getting extinct. So I'm not sure these shops-on-wheels have such a big role in promoting bike lanes.
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Meena Kadri

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November 21, 2011, 06:50AM
Nice one – I'm a big fan: http://www.randomspecific.com/mobile-enterprise. Here's an non-food example from Melbourne: http://www.randomspecific.com/pedal-powered-retail
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