Hello All

michaelscycles · Feb 28, 2009

I am sure some of you will recognize me from some other forums.

I am currently trying to open my own bike shop and totally enjoy working on bikes. I have my own plumbing business and am looking for something new to do. I am having some issues with our local supervisors, so I am not sure how it will work out. It started with my oldest son's Eagle Scout Project. We collected, repaired, and gave away over 100 bikes. I am hoping to continue giving them away, and have a place that kids can get their bikes repaired for whatever they can afford to pay. Even if it's only a dollar or two. I hope to grow it into a full shop with new bikes and my son wants to sell skate boards too. If I can't work out the issues with the township, I will just do the free bikes. They can't stop me from doing that. I take donated bikes and some people donate money to help out with the bikes. I am not sure but I may try ask for donations to get a bike. That way it would be like selling them, if someone can afford to buy one, with out actually selling them. If I do it that way, and all the money goes into the bikes, what can they do?

Sorry for going on and on. I am just a little ticked off because I hate it when someone tells me I can't do something. It just makes me more determined to do it. My next meeting in front of them is Tuesday. Wish me luck.

Thanks,
Mike

Rat Rod · Feb 28, 2009

Welcome to the forum Mike.

Sounds hard to believe that anyone would hassle you about that, but that is government for ya.

KOTA · Feb 28, 2009

welcome! Good luck.

user 3630 · Feb 28, 2009

Sounds like you need a friend on the local city council and a friend that understands local zoning laws?

What you're trying to do is open a local bike kitchen, which is quite popular in many major metropolitan areas. I know there are resources available to help you accomplish what you want to do.

What road blocks are you running into.

BTW, welcome!

michaelscycles · Mar 1, 2009

A Bike kitchen is about what it may turn out to be. I have been doing some research into that as an option to get this done. I didn't want to officially go that route in case I am successful with a more standard shop. The free side would just be something I could still offer that way. If it turns out that is how I have to do it, it's better then nothing.

The only other road block I have been having is finding affordable insurance. Most companies won't even talk to me when it is mainly a repair shop. And if you mention anything about selling used, that is the end of it. I think I have that worked out though. I just need to commit and see if the policy goes through. I tried to contact some of the existing bike kitchens to see what they do about insurance. Not one has gotten back to me.

I thought I did have some friends in the local government. The township has hired me to do work for them, one of the supervisors donated bikes to us, and I was involved in a large project to improve the township's park.

I am well known in the community. My plumbing business has a reputation for being affordable and the one to call when you have a problem that no one else wants to fix. I do not have employees, I do it all myself. That is one reason I need to do something else, my body is getting beat up from years, over 25, of this stuff. I am also the Scoutmaster for the only troop in the township.

I will see how the meeting goes this week. Every person I talk to thinks this is a great idea. I know that a few have called some of the supervisors to tell them so. The local paper did a big story about what we were doing and I am sure if I called and said they want to stop me they would do another. They may decide to give me the approval just to keep me quit. That is what I am hoping for.

The problem is that they do not like businesses in the township. They let my plumbing business alone because I don't have customers coming here. But what I want to do isn't that big a deal. My garage is 28' x 36'. I have moved all the plumbing stuff into one side. That leaves 500 square feet for the bike shop, not big but doable. I can also, if it works out, take over the other half. I planned on closing in a garage door and putting a man door and glass in. Now what you have to know is that I am not in a residential neighborhood. I am 1/4 mike off a major highway. Between me and the highway is nothing but woods. on the other side of the road is nothing below me and not a single house for another 1/4 mike the other way. The next house on my side is about 200 feet away and it is my mother's. after that, about 1,000 feet to the next one. The important thing is that I am just across the border of another township. the border runs at an angle so the property on the other side of the road, just a few hundred feet below me is in the other township. There is an road that starts in my township and goes up the hill into the other. There is over 500 acres for sale there that is zoned commercial. If it gets developed, my property, as far as residential value, will go down. It only makes sense to allow businesses here. I will attach a couple of pictures to give you a better idea.

Some stuff would change, the shed in front would be moved. Notice the blue tarp on the side of the garage, that is over 70 bikes that are repairable that I have to work on yet. That is an issue they have, stuff sitting around, but it will be cleaned up and I will store the bikes somewhere else. I will have to because the bay that the shop will be in is where I park one of my trucks. I will put another carport on the left side of the garage and park it there.