Almost had a bike shop

The nearest bike shop is 90 miles away. There is so much demand here for a bike shop. Even the bike shop that is 90 miles away wishes we had one because they have to make special arrangements for all of us. There were a couple guys doing free lance bike repair but once of them got too busy.

Over a year ago I heard about a guy wanting to start up a bike shop. He's young, on disability for early onset rheumatoid arthritis, and he got a grant that paid for the 6 week bike mechanic course and bought him a lot of tools. Sounds great so far! But he's having trouble getting a business license. I wanted to help him out so I started looking into it.

And it turns out that a long time ago, he met with the codes director about what he needed to do to get a license but never applied. The codes director got wind of his business and stopped by to check it out, found out he hadn't ever gotten his license, and called him on it. Also told him "You'll need more parking."

Now, the parking requirement is not necessarily wise, but it'll take an act of city council to change, and the codes director can't change it. Our bike shop wannabe has it in his head that he needs a temporary license. There is no provision for a temporary license--again that will take an act of city council.

There is a provision for a special use permit and that would be preferable because honestly a bike shop? He doesn't need the additional parking. He needs a bike rack not a paved parking space. I don't know why, but he is unwilling to apply for a special use permit.

He has been belligerent with the codes director, pretends he's not really running a business ("Oh those guys in my garage looking at bikes? They are just friends of mine. The bikes in my yard? No, I'm not selling those." The codes director called and said "I have a bike that needs repaired" and he said "Bring it over!" then, when the codes director said who he was, bike shop wannabe said "Well, I didn't say I was going to charge you anything for repairing it.")

Before I knew the whole story, I got involved--because I really want to have a bike shop in town. I engineered a meeting between bike shop wannabe and the econ dev director. Then I called the codes director and said "Can I hear your side of the story?" He was all too willing to talk to me. It's not really a matter of "he said he said" because they both agree as to the events. The difference seems to be that bike shop wannabe has it in his head that the codes director could issue a temporary permit if he wanted to. And he can't. He doesn't have that authority.

It sounded like the situation was really escalating so I ended the chat with "Well, maybe I can talk some sense into him" (the bike shop wannabe). Rather than have another verbal conversation with him-- because it just really sounds like he is NOT getting the message, and maybe a written communication would get across-- I wrote a long email. I wasn't too awfully gentle either. I told him he has to get legal and he's going to end up in court and all I want is a bike shop but it's not going to happen unless he cooperates and gets a special use permit. Yes, it's not as easy as applying for a business license, but it's not impossible by any means. Furthermore, either the paved spaces or the expenses associated with a special use permit (which are surely far less than the paved spaces) could easily be handled by a sponsor--there are a LOT of people, some of them quite well heeled, who feel like I do and really really want to see a bike shop. He already had a partner who had been willing to offset some expense, and I gave him a name of another person who had expressed interest and offered to set up a meeting (but he never took me up on that).

Well he got part of the message. He announced on his store's facebook page that he was shutting down, that the city wouldn't give him a temporary permit until he could afford to get the additional parking spaces.

He just refuses to consider applying for a special use permit which baffles me. I'm angry on behalf of the funding agency that paid for him to go to school and bought his tools. I'm angry on my own behalf because I feel a bit used. I'm so, so, so disappointed that we're not going to get a bike shop. I guess he just didn't have enough skin of his own in the game, to give up so easily.

As a former disability claimants' representative ... if he's under 50 and his arthritis hasn't made him physically incapable of working on bikes, it's pretty likely that he's got a mental or emotional condition contributing to his disability. It's pretty difficult for a younger person to qualify. Anything that would make it harder for him to be an employee, would make it harder for him to deal with bureaucracy, too.

Vocational rehabilitation agencies are stretched far past their limits. It's not unusual to see them doing just what this guy's did - throw money at education and start-up costs, but not give a client the real support they need to get back to work. Sheltered workshops are reserved for the clients with the severest disabilities, usually those who will never be able to handle competitive employment. And VR counselors are human, too, and it's natural that they get super frustrated dealing with people who have personality disorders or severe depression - people who, just like your guy, manage to find or create barriers where a healthy person might see opportunities. It's way more rewarding to work with clients with cognitive deficits or strictly physical limitations, so they wind up getting more attention.

Sorry it didn't work out, for both of you, and for your town.

That's a good point, and entirely possible.

I wasn't sure if writing a letter to him was the best idea, that maybe the best course was to stay out of it entirely. It's likely that my letter made him mad because I wasn't too gentle. I wasn't mean or rude but I did suggest he consider what is professional behavior.

After his dramatic announcement that he's closing the shop, in the comments discussion that ensued, he mentioned that the fellow who has a store front he could rent had not returned his messages. The fellow responded to that right away and it looks like he might go ahead and move into the store front, which would make the license issue a simple matter. I know the store front guy too, and since the space is standing empty at the moment and the store front guy is a car free cyclist, I believe the bike shop guy will get the space for perhaps free or at any rate a very reasonable cost. (Like most small towns, the downtown is struggling, and the "business incubation" model involves landlords giving new businesses a sweet deal so long as no one else is wanting to pay the full rent.)

If that happens--something I believe is still a big "if"-- I will feel partly responsible, that my letter sparked him to get a store front and become legitimate.

That would be great for your community to have a bike store.

Don't know other things to this type of venture and conditions of his support as a start-up. But maybe he realizes to commit as a long term business owner...he has to work seriously hard to earn money and stay in business. So maybe, hence, his vacillation.

I forgot to update here, but a couple weeks after all this, the guy announced that he had his business license from the city. He didn't build the extra parking, I don't think he got a Special Use Permit, so I don't know how he worked it out. But I don't really care--I'm just glad he's legal! Oh-- the assistant City Manager posted "Congratulations" on his fb announcement, so I'm sure its legit. I wouldn't necessarily have trusted just his word on it.

Yay! Really hoping it works out.