After 'huge theft scam' hits hard, Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop asking for help to stay open

Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop is located at 1603 North Colorado Street in the Five Points neighborhood. It was previously located in Southtown. Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop is located at 1603 North Colorado Street in the Five Points neighborhood. It was previously located in Southtown. Photo: Courtesy Of Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop Photo: Courtesy Of Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close After 'huge theft scam' hits hard, Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop asking for help to stay open 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

After an alleged scam left a local bicycle shop and community staple out $3,000, the store's owner is asking for help to keep his business open.

Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop owner Tito Bradshaw has scheduled a benefit on Sunday from 2 to 9 p.m. at 1603 N. Colorado St. in the hopes of raising some of the money he and his company lost.

The Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop sits in the Five Points neighborhood, about three miles north of its previous home in Southtown. It has served as a hub for the downtown cycling community for years, even before Bradshaw was able to open a brick-and-mortar shop.

At the beginning of August, a family entered the shop and bought five bikes, five helmets, and several accessories — about $3,000 worth of products, Bradshaw said.

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A few months later, the bicycle shop's credit card processor notified Bradshaw that the customer was disputing the charge. Bradshaw pulled out a signed receipt and video footage of the people buying the bikes and information to give to the credit card processor, who in turn sent Bradshaw to the customer's bank in Mexico City. He attempted to contact the customers personally, but has so far been unsuccessful, he said.

The bank sided with its customers, Bradshaw said, leaving him and his bicycle shop $3,000 poorer. After consulting a lawyer, he realized it would be too big of a hassle to fight a bank based in Mexico, so now he's turning to the community for help.

“(The scam) along with some terrible timing has devastated the shop. If we don’t come up with something to counter this we will be forced to close the doors,” Bradshaw said in a Facebook post. “If the bottom bracket has ever been down for you, please help any way you can.”

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A number of other local businesses have offered items to raffle, including some paintings and gift baskets, and Bottom Bracket Bicycle Shop will be raffling off a bicycle. Bradshaw and friends will also be selling "Bottom Bracket Memberships" which include a shirt, tune-ups, $1 off beer and coffee and more.

It's the second hit to Bottom Bracket, which previously also owned a popular West Side dive bar. The Bottom Bracket Social Club shut down unexpectedly earlier this year. Bradshaw said he plans to open a new bar — similar to the Social Club — in the middle of next year on the South Side of San Antonio.

S. M. Chavey is a breaking news and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | sarah.chavey@express-news.net | @smchavey