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Marc Hanses, owner of Prescott Valley Bike Works, and Tim Hills, owner of Guitar Heaven, are working out of the same retail space.
It was late December 2008 when the slumping economy was chiming in with a sour note for Tim Hills and Marc Hanses.
 Hills, owner of Guitar Heaven, and Hanses, owner of Prescott Valley Bike Works, just got through a dismal holiday shopping season.
That's when they decided to do something different and merge their businesses under one roof at 8561 E. Florentine Road.
"We saw the writing on the wall with the economy and we thought we'd save some money," Hills said.
It was Hanses who first went to Hills the last week of 2008 with the idea of joining forces.
"We were all just kind of in a state of shock," Hanses said. "We had to think about it for a few days."
It took less than a week to agree on combining their businesses into the same space, and Hills said it's working out great.
"We do business with each other's customers. It's been good," he said.
Hanses said customers rarely went to both shops at the same time when they each had their own space.
And it's a money-saver, according to Hanses, because they split the rent.
"It cut our overhead and that's the only thing we had control over," he said. "I think it definitely was the right thing to do."
Hills agreed.
"I think business has been better since we banded together," he said.
And Hills said they are able to help each other with customer service.
"I'm learning a little bit about bicycles and (Hanses) knows something about guitars," he said.
"It's positively affected both of us," Hanses said. "This was the smartest way to make things better."
The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
For information, call Hanses at 775-4860 or Hills at 775-0072.
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