Bikes live in a strange catagory of vehicles somewhere between a motorcycle and a scooter. A place where they are okay for inside storage, but only in certain situations. Why are bikes not allowed inside buildings? I’m not entirely sure so let’s think about it for a moment. There are two main reasons to bring your bike inside, security and weather.
In my home I have peace of mind because every time I get home I park my bike in the basement and lock the door behind me. So why can’t I do this when I go out into Albany to grab a coffee or do some shopping? It would be a major draw for me to be able to bring my bike inside as to weather I visit a retailer or not. That way I could know that my bike is safe while I went browsing for interesting things or shopping for the week.
As for weather the weather is a factor it certainly is. To be able to keep your bike in a sheltered environment while mother nature is at her worst has huge repercussions on the long term life of the bicycle as well as the daily maintinence that is required if you are riding in the rain or snow everyday.
In New York City office buildings are required to provide bicycle accommodations indoors. Why not Albany?
The only place I know of in Albany that will allow you to bring your bike inside is the Hudson River Coffee House. If anyone knows of others I would love to hear from you.
Albany Bicycle Coalition 
Good topic! Thanks for posting it. Should be obvious why some folks don’t want bikes in their stores or places of business. Some are a mess, especially in the winter. If
I bring my bicycle into Home Depot on Central all the time. They don’t have racks or other objects I can get a U lock around outside, so I roll into the foyer and lock to the shelving units that hold bags of salt and whatnot. Once I even forgot the key to my lock and rolled my bicycle into the store and stashed it behind customer service with their blessing.
I also forgot my key on a trip to CVS on Western. Asked the clerk if I could roll it in and she said yes.
Honest Weight has indoor parking for workers, but no one will challenge you if you want to use the space outside of working hours. You are a customer!
Be bold, but be polite. Most importantly, carry a good lock in case someone says no.
In the winder months, those with steel bicycles may want to consider condensation inside the frame. It can form each time you bring a bicycle inside from the cold. It will pool in the bottom bracket. Unless the frame is well treated with rust preventative, the frame can eventually rust through at the bottom bracket. I try to keep a steel bike that I ride in the winter cold all winter. An unheated garage or porch is fine, but don’t subject your frame to frequent trips from cold to hot. Aluminum makes a good frame material for winter bikes. No rust issue. Just be sure to liberally grease your seatpost so it doesn’t fuse into the frame.
Have fun!