Mike Leonard: Why I shop where everybody knows my name

Video: ’Throwback’ store is ‘doorway into the past’

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2. Closed captioning of: ’Throwback’ store is ‘doorway into the past’

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   >>> this morning on leonard's look mike leonard takes us on a trip down memory lane to an old school inci school institution that's still going strong .

   >> reporter: behold this grand entrance to another era. this battered back door portal to a time when shop keepers serviced what they sold, when telephones were answered by humans, and when paperwork was done on paper. some of it kept on spikes, some in time-worn cardboard file boxes, and some -- my goodness, what a curious way to keep and sort phone numbers.

   >> it works!

   >> reporter: just as well today as it did 80 years ago when jim and john first opened the wilmette bicycle shop . their sons al, jim and larry now run the business in the same fashion out of the same very old-fashioned freestanding destination store. the type of retail establishment that wasn't supposed to make it in this internet shopping big box age.

   >> that's correct, yeah. on paper this should not work.

   >> reporter: not only is it working it's thriving. the funky back door repair room entranceway, a glowing, unpretentious signal that this place is not only about selling stuff.

   >> we gain trust that way.

   >> reporter: some people come just for advice. some for a small favor.

   >> thanks!

   >> reporter: some to reminisce about their days as one of the hundreds and hundreds of young boys and girls who worked their way through school in a shop that taught them how to work with people. really work with people. a lesson not often emphasized in newer, bigger stores.

   >> the personal service , you can't beat.

   >> it's all about service. customers are number one.

   >> reporter: yes, this bicycle and sports shop is cramped and crowded but nobody's complaining.

   >> it's easier for me. there are always people to help you.

   >> reporter: sure, the low ceiling in the basement, bicycle showroom calls for awkward crouching but --

   >> i don't mind. the information and service you get makes it worth it.

   >> reporter: as for the supposed hassle of climbing the creaky stores to the second floor attic stock room, nobody seems hassled.

   >> no. it's terrific.

   >> i love it. i go up there all the time just to do it.

   >> you live with what you have at times, keep the costs down.

   >> reporter: they have made efforts to address some of the building's cosmetic issues, but even in that regard when it comes to change they don't like to rush things.

   >> until last year we had 100-year-old wallpaper going up the stairs. we finally decided to paint it. seriously.

   >> why change if it works?

   >> reporter: now if only more places worked this way.

   >> such a throwback.

   >> reporter: this doorway into the past, a pleasantly disorienting sight for a newcomer stepping inside.

   >> people say, ooh, it's the wrong entrance. no, no. that's our best entrance.

   >> reporter: for "today," mike leonard , nbc news, wilmette, illinois.

   >> as we were watching that each of us said, i know a store like that.

   >> my town is full of them. mom and pop shops. it's great. i love supporting them.

   >> too often people think of progress and think, okay, we're doing well we have to move into a bigger location, spanking new. it loses something.

   >> it absolutely does. it's a throwback.

   >> a monument to organization. i bet if you asked the owners where anything is they could find it in five seconds. amazing.

   >> pretty cool. like your dressing room . cluttered but you can still find stuff. we had a place in connecticut, bruce park sports that was in a tiny space. they got bigger. still cool.

   >> it's steiner sports in new york .

   >> good old fashioned hardware stores . up next, the difference between

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