German bike maker YT Industries announced plans to open a showroom-style retail and service center in Bentonville, its second location in the U.S.
The two-floor YT MILL, as it is known, is set to open downtown at 305 N. Main St. in spring 2024. It will include a rider’s lounge, a pro-level workshop to build and service bikes, and space for hosting community events.
The direct-to-consumer brand is working with Paul Esterer of Moses Tucker Partners and Wood Capital Group on developing the property and Buf Studios for local design and architecture.
The project is expected to create 20 jobs.
Other YT MILL locations are in San Clemente, California; Surrey Hills, England; and Hausen, Germany.
The company said Bentonville's growing reputation as the "mountain biking capital of the world" was one of several lures.
"It’s a mountain biker’s paradise with a growing mountain bike community, a city with a passion for music, art, and awesome coffee … It feels like a natural home for YT to expand and position our next MILL," Matthew Wale, the company's director of global retail, said in a statement. "We want to be part of and contribute to this community."
