St. louis Bicycle Works is moving.
For 25 years now we have been located on the same intersection in south St.louis but next spring we will be moving.
http://tinyurl.com/24ks3jh
If you have been to the shop on a busy night you understand this move
was long overdue. We are open five nights a week in order to
accommodate the volume of people coming to volunteer. The Earn-A-Bike
program now occurs on Saturdays and Wednesdays to allow even more kids
to learn. The computer shop has continued to increase the accessibility
of its Earn-A-Computer programs and has added a one-on-one mentoring
program. A new program called BookWORKS was started this year to help
kids improve their writing and reading skills. This growth has taxed
our core group of volunteers and the building we currently occupy. The
same room serves as a classroom, a boardroom, and a storage area all in
the same week. More and better space was need for us to continue to
grow and pursue our mission.
Over a year ago we started touring
buildings in the neighborhood and surrounding areas to see what was
possible. This spring we found a perfect building to meet our needs and
a generous patron to help make it a reality. The space is large enough
to allow for growth, it is located in a residential area, and our new
neighbors are enthusiastic about our moving in. This new location will
have dedicated classroom spaces, more than double the shop space, new
bathrooms, a reception and retail area, and plenty of storage, all
built to our specific needs. We are extremely excited and thankful for
this opportunity.
This good news, however, is tempered by the sadness we feel for leaving
one of the most amazing and supportive communities in all of Saint
Louis, the Shaw Neighborhood. Shaw has been our home for over twenty
years, BWORKS was conceived and flourished here and we are deeply
grateful for all the support and encouragement Shaw has given us.
We look forward to what the future holds.