6B - The Michigan Daily Weekend Magazine - Thursday, February 6, 1997 0 The Michigan Daily Weekent 21 About Town Campus Bike & Toy equips kids of all ages with cycles, playthings 'Star Wars' stars at box office By Jenny Rubinfeld For the Daily Campus Bike & Toy Center is a well- established Ann Arbor tradition, serv- ing the community with bikes, dolls and games for more than 60 years. The colorful sign hanging outside the down- town store is a reminder of something from the old school, when "bikes were toys," Vickie Plotner said. Founded in 1933 by Walter Grimston and Bennett French, the shop originated on the corner of E. Liberty and Maynard kULLYs "PARKDaiy Rackham student Andrew Campbell trues a wheel at Campus Bike & Toy. streets as a bike rental outlet. The store moved twice, eventually ending up in its current location on E. William St., in 1945. French ultimately bought out his partner and after some time, the shop changed hands from French to his half brother Farrell Dewight Plotner II. The store remains a family establishment, owned and operated by the Plotner clan. The original store was strictly Campus B rental and repair, because "during ~ Where: 514 E. W the war you could not get bikes," V Phone: 662-0035 said Alice Plotner, wife of ~ Hours: Monday-& Farrei4. 5:30 p.m. Entering the store is like walk- ing into a cyclist's haven; the walls are covered with bicycling gear, ranging from clothes to water bottles to tires, and there are rows of bikes in the middle. Campus Bike & Toy Center carries a selection of bikes directed towards both the student and commuter markets. The store specializes in Schwinn, Trek and Gary Fisher bikes. "We carry your basic S250 bike to get from class to class. The students mostly want the cheaper bikes," said employee Dave Pratt, an Engineering sophomore. Campus Bike & Toy's bicycle service center has a reputation for friendliness and experience. The store offers free air and safety checks for bikes. Third-year Law student Jason de Bretteville said, "They are always more than happy to fill my tires and tune up my bike, and I didn't even buy my bike there." "We give people ke & Toy estimates which we -stick to. We also Ian St. have a 30-day guar- antee on all repairs," Los Angeles Times When George Lucas and 20th Century Fox eChairman Tom Sherak met in 1992 to talk about reissuing an old but improved "Star Wars" on the big screen, neither had any idea that the force would be with them as much as it was this weekend. "Star Wars," first released in 1977, was brought back to theaters Friday and drew record-setting numbers across the country. It is estimated to have made $36.2 million by Sunday night, having played more than 2,100 screens in the- aters packed with die-hard fans from ages 6 to 60. The blockbuster figures bring its cumulative box-office take to $358 million, the second-highest film gross of all time, behind "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial." A spokeswoman for Lucas said he had no expectation that the movie - which has been out on videotape for years and has been shown often on television - would come back in such a big way. What Lucas had hoped above all, according to Sherak, was for his film to serve as a bridge between generations. "When 1 met with George, his first comments were 'I want families to be able to see it on the big screen,"' Sherak said. "Friday and Saturday we got the zealots and also the families." He said that according to exit polls, one-third of the audience on opening weekend were families. "You take your child to the movies and you relive the experience that had some impact on your life, and you're also trying to transfer that to your child," said Sherak. "I watched kids come out with their parents. I watched some fathers come out and smile and ask 'Well?' and the kids said, 'I loved it."' "I saw it first at 4 years old and I've seen it more than 20 times since," said Joe Gjonola, 24, of Los Angeles. "It was one of the first movies I heavily connect- ed with. Now it's sort of deeply embed- ded in my mind and emotions. For about 10 years, every birthday and Christmas revolved around the acquisition of 'Star iN ilI Wars' toys forme andmy brothers.... So, I came to this on opening night out of respect. It's that important." The hype having reached fever pitch this weekend, competing movies didn't stand much of a chance at the box office. According to the estimates, "Star Wars" drew a startling $17,205 average per screen. It was the ninth-highest opening weekend estimate ever and an easy record for any weekend in January or February. Coming in second was "Jerry Maguire," with an estimated $5.6 mil- lion (and a total, after eight weeks, of $117 million). In third place was "Scream" at $4.8 million, followed by "Metro" with $4.4 million. "Evita" and "Beverly Hills Ninja" tied for fifth with $4.3 million. In seventh place was "In Love and War" with $3.9 million. "The Relic" was in eighth place with $2.9 million. "Gridlock'd" was in ninth with $2.8 million. "Mother" and "Michael" tied for 10th place with $2.6 million each. I 5 y Saturday, 9:30 a.m.- The famous star-struck tr TOLL FREE 1-(800) 305-1845 x228 Group Discounts anc Greek Specials! Ask How YOU Can Travel FREE!!! said employee Andrew Campbell, a Rackham student. The Plotners have expanded to three other loca- tions: Washtenaw Cycle & Fitness Center in Ann Arbor; Wheels in Motion in Fenton and Bike Haus in Brighton. These other locations focus more on the serious biker, and less on the student and commuter market. These other stores also lack an important element of the main store - toys. When the shop moved into its present location, something other than bikes was needed to to fill the larger space. Toys became the suitable solution. See BIKES, Page 7B .................. .................. .CIQID1st floor Mchgn A111 "'eytQACsday p for miovie ltxtngs mail =.,l ' C*I 8-11 PM A CA Choose any of Create your o lso Featuring 8 (lftnwrA g ulq i/UUd &Sod4 pf10 1.. The Real Group LL C - Feb. 7 Captain Ron and the All- Stars Feb. 14 The Still a Saturday, February 8, 8:00pm Michigan Theater Sweden has given us Volvo, Greta Garbo, smorgasbord and ABBA. Now it's time for The Real Group, a super-- hip new jazz a cappe//aensemble performing every- thing from Basie to the Beatles. Presented with support from media partner WEMU, 89.1FM Feb. 6 58 Greene Good News Feb. 13 drivetrain Aynsley Martindale 5 Lower level of the Michigan League 911 N. University Ann Arbor 48109-1265 For more information, please caH 763-4652. a