Welovetheviewfro
2023 was our first year at 701 N Main Street, and what an amazing year it was! We were able to serve over 600 individuals,families,businesses,andorganizations!
At the end of 2022, we calculated that we had recycled, repaired, distributed, and sold 2,769 bikes since we opened in 2018 So, when we moved in, we set a new goal to reach over 3,000 by the end of 2023. Well, we’ve got great news... we beat it! As of January 2023, we reached a new total of 3,189 bikes. Our 2024 goal is 3,850 bikes, and as of June, the number is...
3,683
BIKES TheB-Store 2024AnnualReport thebikeplace.org June2024 (815)779-2309 Repaired,recycled,distributed,andsoldsince2018! Thank you, thank you, thank you. We couldn’t have done it alone. Thank you to the hundredsoffantasticfolkswhodonatedtheirbikes,expertise,time,ormadeadonationto ourPedalItForwardprogram.Wearehonoredtohaveyoursupport.
WelcometoTheBikePlace
In2023We...
Started a website to share more about us and set up an online store to show our bikes online Check out thebikplace.org.
Planned and coordinated with The City of Princeton to host the first ever Princeton Bike Fest with hundreds of attendees.
Kept approximately 4 tons of metal out of the landfill by breaking down and recycling bicycles.
Repaired, sold, recycled, or distributed over 400 bikes.
Racked up more than 3000 volunteer hours.
WhatDoWeDo?
Sure, we are a bike store, but we are also a a nonprofit program. Run by Midwest Partners, The Bike Place has helped thousands of families and individuals get and keep a quality bike whether or not they could afford one.
Werestoreandrepairbikesofallkinds includingtandems,eBikes,andclassicbikes.
Wepartoutandrecyclewell-lovedbikesto keepthetiresandmetaloutofthelandfill.
WedistributebikesthroughoutNorth CentralIllinoisandhavesentbikesasfaras AfricaandSouthAmerica
Wesellusedandnewbikesofallkindsfor 30%+ lessthanotherplaces Becausemany aredonated,wehavethemostinteresting stockaround!
MeetOurMechanics
ROBBERRY
STEVEGRAHAM
Rob is the bike doctor. His knowledge of cycling and bikes runs deep. You’ve probably seen his amazing posts on FaceBook, or maybe out riding the streets of Princeton.
Steve can fix just about anything. With a PhD in physics and his dedication to making the world a better place, he’s been with us from the start
Repairs
Inspections and estimates
Flat tires and tubes
Tune-ups
Shift and brake cables
Wheel truing and builds
Shifting adjustments
Hand cleaning
Chain install and repair
THEBIKEPLACEISAMEMBERORPARTNEROF:
ThePrincetonBicyclePedestrianCommission
When you stop at the shop...
Bikes made into artwork! Like robots made with parts by local retired art teacher, Susan Berry, or a double-decker bike...
A Chinese dragon flying around outside!
...orwhoyouwillmeet!
Bikes that are almost 150 years old, like this Penny-farthing from 1885 on loan from the Bureau County Historical Society.
This beautifully handpainted recreation of Alphonse Mucha’s famous 1897 bicycle ad made by local artist Matt Adams.
Overthepastyear,we’vehadvisitors,collectors, andcyclistsfromacrosstheworld.Fromfirsttime riders(3yearsold)tothehighly-esteemed (80s+),yourstoriesarewhatinspireus.
Max Wallace is one of Princeton’s esteemed crossing guards At 80 years old, Max still rides 40-70 miles a week.
Owner and Founder of Pedalers Bicycle Museum in Missouri, James Allen shared his story of riding a Pennyfarthing bike across the United States. He’s been collecting bikes for 37 years!
The Khudaverdiiev Family is from a small village from the Kherson region in Ukraine. Arif was a livestock worker and beekeeper, as well as a single father to two teenage children, Parvana and Alekber The Russian invasion brought constant danger and food shortages forcing them to leave their home After one year in a German refugee camp and support from Open Table church in Ottawa, Arif and his family are now beginning anew in North Central Illinois!
You’llneverknowwhat you’llsee...
YouthVolunteer Programs
Whatcanwecallthem? Velomeisters? Flat Fixers? LifeSavers? TheWrenchBrigade?
Ourfinecadreofafternoonshopdwellersare becomingcapableofmoresophisticatedcycle repairsastheycompletevolunteerhoursfor schoolorjustfortheloveofbikes Theytake bikesapart,putthemtogether,shinethemup andgetthemreadyforafinalinspection
Wanttojointhem? Helpthemlearneven more? Wecouldusesomeadultstowork andlearnwiththem.Getintouchat info@thebikeplace.org
“Fredo is a student at Princeton High School. During the fourth quarter, he job-shadowed at the shop as a mechanic. He handles tools well, has good mechanical skills, and remembers pretty much everything I was able to tell him about working on bikes His last day of the year was today and he got some new tools to practice his new skills with over the summer. I look forward to having him back in the fall.”
-Rob Berry
BikeMaintenance Workshops
The Bike Place has led bike maintenance workshops for adults, as well as bike safety courses and games for children. For the past several years, we have partnered with the Bureau County Metro Center, Perry Memorial Hospital (now OSF St Clare), and the Princeton BicyclePedestrian Commission to hold events
PrincetonBikeRegistry
Want to prevent bike theft? Find your bike after it has been stolen? Register your bike on our website (thebikeplace.org) and report the theft to the Police. If it shows up, we’ll all know it’s yours. This is a FREE service provided by The Bike Place.
From peoplelike you!
Our donations come from your neighbors kids growing up, parents, grandparents, people cleaning out their garages and barns. 101 bikes were donated in one month alone! Please keep them coming
Amatchingsetof23yearoldcruisersthat foundahomewitha youngcoupleintown.
Wheredoourbikesgo?
ToSupportTheArts
We donated bicycles to raise money for the silo pathways art project’s Mendota Train Station mural. We’ve also supported NCI ARTworks, and the Starved Rock Community Foundation.
Thankyouto theOttawa Police Department whosentovera TRUCKLOAD!
Ourbikesgotofamiliesandindividualsin need,likethemotherwithfivefosterchildren orthefamilywholosttheirbikesinagarage fire.Familieswhohavecomefrom Afghanistan,Ukraine,andVenezuela.
ToBuildaBicycleFriendlyCommunity
We provide bike rentals to people at Z Tour, actors at Festival 56, and local visitors We have also worked with the Princeton, IL Bicycle-Pedestrian and Public Arts Commissions to install bike racks around town.
Thebikessupportlocalorganizationsasdoor prizesoritemsinsilentauctionsforplaceslike TheZearingChildEnrichmentCenter,PADS HomelessShelter,thePrincetonChamberof Commerce,LilyPads,Peru’sReStore,the BureauCountyMetroCenter,ArukahInstitute ofHealing,andthePrincetonRotary
BikesgotoclientsandfriendsofArukah, FreedomHouse,LibertyVillage,andthe PerfectlyFlawedFoundation.
Bikesgotochurchesandorganizationsgiving bikestokidsforChristmas.
BikesgotoadultsinAfricaandLatinAmerica.
Werecyclethetiresandmetalfromour bikeslocallytohelpourearthandkeep themoutoflandfills.
Wheredoourbikescomefrom?
Wherevertheyareneeded.
Midwest Partners is a nonprofit, taxexempt 501(c)3. Our mission is to facilitate individual and community development to meet basic human needs, reduce material, social, and spiritual poverty, and promote a sustainable quality of life in North Central Illinois and beyond. The Bike Place is the leading program of Midwest Partners. Since 2018, Midwest Partners has worked with more than 30 organizations across Illinois to bring arts programming, community development projects, and other services
Tim Clarke
Mark Hamilton
Matt Adams
Pam Marsh
Gary Mordt
Jesse Decrane
Don Smucker
Bill Keener
Owen Thorton
Jaden Cook
Jackson Stocker
Adyn Bublitz
Erfaan Yousufy
Apollo Mencos
Rick Brooks
Kayla Greenwell
Kyle Unzicker
Lex Poppens
Ellen Starr
Sheila Harrison
Sarah Church-McCombs
Austin Burrows
2023AnnualIncome Direct Donations $4,418 Sales & Repairs $56,686 Online Sales $5,063 Grants & Msc $5,008 Total $71,175 2023AnnualExpenses Utilities $12,795 Parts & Supplies $11,236 Office & Admin $20,841 Marketing $3,586 Services Provided $19,511 Total $67,969
ADVISERS
701 N. MAIN STREET PRINCETON, IL 61356 (815) 797-2399 THEBIKEPLACE.ORG Wanttopartnerup? There’salwayssomethinggoingonintown!Have anideaoraquestionorjustwanttosayhello?Get intouchatinfo@midwestpartners.orgorvisit midwestpartners.org. VOLUNTEERS WhoWeAre BOARD Don’tforgettocheck outouronlinestore! 2023AnnualBudget
Thankyou! Partners Wanttothank them?Jointhem. Helpusbeatour 2024PedalIt Forwardgoalof $2,000! $2000 $1750 $1500 $1250 $1000 $750 $500 $313 $100 Have a bike that you could donate? Know someone who could help us reach our Pedal It Forward goal? Visit thebikeplace.org to sponsor a bike for someone who needs one. Thankyoutoallofourpartners—wework togetherandhelpeachother. We are here! (P.S. Thank you Ray Mabry!)
WhatistheB-Store,Anyway?
It’s a place to meet, watch videos, learn, and share what you know A place to find local treasures It’s where you can learn to get involved in the public arts or civic improvement A place to have storytelling workshops, poetry readings, classes... The B-Store can be whatever you want it to be.
FreshGrocery Pick-up
Valley Fresh Harvest in Ladd drops fresh, local produce for pick up every Wednesday from 3-5 PM. Just order online by Sunday morning and it will be waiting for you here. Easy!
SustainableGardening PlasticBagRecycling LittleNeighborsGalore...
A place to get some compost made by some very productive worms, science, love and respect for the soil. Make your garden grow with a bucket of this wonderfulness this summer.
Tucked away behind our building is a beautiful pollinator garden that makes a great place for people and pollinators!
What does 1000 pounds of plastic bags look like? Well, it is about 80,000 grocery bags We’ve collected hundreds of pounds in the last year. Why? A new park bench and a cleaner landfill.
With help from the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation, The B-Store hosted a Little Free Library community learning event. This is part of a bigger project of Midwest Partners, called Community A-Z which is also supported by the Green River Fund, Heartland Bank, and the Bureau County Farm Bureau.
In the blazing heat of mid-June, Princeton had its first-ever Bike Fest alongside the annual Z Tour Bike Ride It was a blast!
From free massages to taking a ride on a teeny-tiny bike there was endless fun to be had.
Kids received free helmets and fittings from the OSF Children’s Hospital and the Illinois State Police played safety games. We’re looking forward to 2024. See you at the Z Tour!
ART+BIKES=DOUBLE THEFUN!
Businesses and individuals from Bureau County participated in a bike decorating contest to support The Bike Fest and the Z Tour even local artist Ray Paseka got inspired and made some mock up ideas Even local coffee shop Scooter’s and The Studio on Main Street had some fun decorating bikes.
PARTNERSOFTHE2023BIKEFEST Burrows Antiques
