A COMMUNITY BIKE WORKSHOP

Many years in the making, we were thrilled to welcome the Baltimore Bike Experience (BBX) youth bicycle program to the newly renovated, 400 square foot workshop space in Fall 2022! Transforming this historic gas station into a bike workshop involved replicating the original full-size windows (which had been filled in with cinderblock), demolishing a thick brick wall to expand into the adjacent storage unit, and adding new plumbing to create a bathroom. The initial work to stabilize and restore the façade occurred in 2018, with design and fundraising continuing until 2021, when a zoning variance was approved and allowed us to begin construction. With the construction completed in fall 2022, we filled the workspace with workbenches, tool cabinets, and bike stands. In November we welcomed neighbors, friends, partners, and funders to stop by for our first open house, which quickly became an open shop when kids brought their bikes over for tune ups (and a few neighbors got new bikes from us!). Since, BBX has restarted their weekly bike repair program, open to any young person to drop in and learn how to make their bike safe to ride under the guidance of adult mechanics/mentors. Coming this spring: group rides throughout Southeast Baltimore—join us!

We’re thankful to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the Middendorf Foundation, the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development’s Community Catalyst Fund, and Outride for funding the construction of the workshop.