Hank & Frank Bicycles, the Mt. Diablo Boulevard bike shop that kept generations of East Bay riders on two wheels, locks its doors for good at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31.

Owner Frank Dryer is retiring after 35 years as owner of the Lafayette store at 3377 Mt. Diablo Blvd. The building has been sold to new owners who plan to convert the space into a dance studio, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Online shopping didn't kill the business, and neither did the economy. The building sale prompted Dryer's decision to step away.

Dryer told the Chronicle he is sad to leave but needs to retire. "If I had a kid, his name would be Hank and he'd be taking over the business," he said.

The shop traces its name to 1925, when founder Hank Stahl took a partner named Frank in Oakland. Dale Dryer, Frank's father, later bought the business from Stahl's widow and moved it to Lafayette in 1974. Frank Dryer started working there as a kid in the 1970s, building tricycles and sweeping floors. He began full time in 1985 and formally bought the shop in 1991, according to the Lamorinda Weekly. Dale continued working at the store until his death.

In the shop's final days, Dryer and his staff sold off remaining inventory while regulars and former employees stopped in for repairs or to say goodbye. Behind the register, Dryer had printed a board with customer messages congratulating him on his retirement. His father Dale's photo still sat on the shelf behind the counter.

A few days before closing, Dryer received a call from Hank Stahl's son, who had heard the shop was shutting down.

Customer Amber Lerma stopped by Friday, Aug. 21 to get her son's bike fixed. Both her children bought their first bikes at Hank & Frank. Her son, now 15, races mountain bikes for a cross-country team in Oakland and still returns for repairs, the Chronicle reported.

Lafayette resident Liz Voelker, a Happy Valley-area parent of three children ages 8, 10 and 12, told the Lamorinda Weekly on Aug. 12 that the closure hit hard. "It is a rite of passage coming to the bike store and picking out your bike and growing into a new one," she said.

Dryer offered free lifetime tune-ups with every bike purchase. He is handing that perk to a shop in Walnut Creek so his customers keep the benefit.

The business itself remains for sale. Dryer told Patch on Friday, Aug. 28, that while the storefront closes Monday, he still hopes to find a buyer for the Hank & Frank name and operation.