Hello Emory and ThinkTankers - I really appreciate the posting by Emory and
I would like to offer a few thoughts. Before I do that, I want to
acknowledge, as Luke Box did, the valuable content and work represented
here in the ThinkTank. Since the time I founded a small community bike
shop in Coos Bay, Or. (2018), I have paid close attention to the content of
exchanges here. I have participated in the virtual BikeBike and I look
forward to an in-person BikeBike sometime soon. Thank you ThinkTank for
all the resource you provide - I find it very valuable. Cheers to all
those who have put effort into it over the years.
The major urban centers of Oregon (Portland, Salem, Hillsboro, Corvallis,
Eugene) all have large and well established 'community' bike shops. Oregon
has smaller communities that also have community bike shops. Like Coos Bay
and Waldport (others?). I am interested in Emory's posting because in Coos
Bay we are finding it difficult to sustain volunteer effort to operate the
various programs needed in our community. We don't generate enough revenue
(sales & service) to support paid staff and, while we have had some success
with grant applications, our experience is that implementing grant programs
with all volunteer effort is challenging. We also struggle with basic
business admin functions. I definitely appreciate the comment from
Geofry Smart about merging of groups can result in loss of values and
perhaps other important facets of community-based operation (autonomy for
example). However, burnout is hitting our small operation pretty hard
these days. We are on an unsustainable volunteer path. In the pacific
northwest, there is currently a developing 'umbrella' non-profit
organization that is intended to support a consortium of regional
community bike shops. I don't know a lot about it at this time but I am
interested to learn more.
Laura Brooke - thank you for the reference to the Vermont group. I will be
reaching out to the "Old Spokes Home" (love the name!)
Eric Clough
Front Street Community Bike Works
Park Your Car - Ride Your Bike!