What non profit charges high prices to "raise the perceived value of bikes"? Our prices at Working Bikes are set to not have our work resold by for-profit individuals at the swap meet or craig's list. I may have a bias but I think that a 'community bike shop' and a 'cooperative bike shop' are different things. One of these titles explains a structure and the other suggests an open door or policy of community engagement.
It's your list and these are just my thoughts, but I was a little surprised to see for profit shops in chicago (uptown) on the list and non-profits (WB and Blackstone) not.
-Paul
On Thu, May 21, 2015 at 12:02 PM, Eric Honour eric.honour@gmail.com wrote:
Might be worth including them under a separate heading. On May 21, 2015 1:01 PM, "Joshua Hoffman" joshuahof@gmail.com wrote:
Here is a searchable document https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S0FOc6ZJA-wYWo4qZ4yx75SBFq53aD8ELY1JGBt6UQY/edit?usp=sharing if you want to check for your shop.
NOTE: So far THE LIST https://www.facebook.com/lists/792013340883812 only includes shops that run cooperatively or at very least include some DIY elements. I've done this for a specific reason.... I'm an anti-capitalist. I'm interested in how bikes build community and engage people in acts of cooperation and self-determination. There are many "non-profit" shops that sell used bikes for high prices because they believe it will "raise the perceived value" of bikes. There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach except that I'm not interested in money or perceived value. I'm interested in more people learning to do more things for themselves and for others. Cooperatives have the potential to lower costs by focusing on mission rather than profit. They can also transform the social relationships between humans by substituting hierarchy for equality. The benefits of encouraging DIY are obvious.
What do you all think? Should I include all "non-profit" bike shop regardless of their mission? What are the arguments for/against?
On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 6:52 PM, Joshua Hoffman joshuahof@gmail.com wrote:
Hello,
I've put together a Facebook list of all the community bike shops who's pages I could find. 133 in total from around the world. This list is constantly turning up amazing stories and new insights (lots of job opportunities as well).
https://www.facebook.com/lists/792013340883812
Please let me know if I need to add other shops.
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