Fun article by Kit Stolz in the VC Star on The MOB Shop, the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, Modern Folk and Rainbow Bridge. An excerpt on The MOB Shop’s plan to build a free-to-use outdoor bicycle repair stand:
“If I teach you how to fix your flat and how to maintain your bike, and you can do it at my place for free, you’re going to tell your friends about it,” explained Tim Rhone, one of Pasco’s three partners. “And then when you want a bike, you’re probably going to come to us. It’s a longer-term approach. It’s building a relationship, rather than just going for the sale.”
Rhone and his three partners, all devout cyclists, plan to put a stand outside the shop, with tools cabled to it, to allow individuals or small classes to work on their bikes without disrupting business inside the shop. Although they estimate the stand will cost $10,000, it’s an integral part of their business approach.
“We want people to be able to roll up, fix a flat, fix their chain, do whatever,” Rhone said. “We want to help the community ride and maintain and take care of their bikes. We want to change the bike culture in this town.”
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome.
i wish them good fortune as well…
but the question remains on many people’s minds as to why they would open a bicycle shop virtually around the corner from a long-existing bicycle shop in a small town.
reminds me of 2 local phone books…
Love the article! It makes connection between business, community, environment and healthy progress!
In response to MK – if we biked a bit more wouldn’t we need 2 bike shops? We have more than 2 chiropractors.
In response to Dr. Young-
Your optimism is delightful.
Don’t let anyone cloud it with a bit of realism…
This is a really lovely idea – the stand outside for little fix ups. Yes we are a small town but we don’t share all of our cash in a cookie jar, and therefore any business has a right to set up shop and join the fray.