Calgary

Good Life Community Bicycle Shop to close down after a decade

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'We were the biggest and only community bike shop in Calgary for a really long time'

The Good Life Community Bicycle Shop is closing after a decade of supporting the community. (Good Life Community Bicycle Shop/Facebook)

After a decade of teaching people how to repair and take care of their bicycles, Good Life Community Bike Shop is shutting down.

The shop announced Saturday that the doors will be closing in one week, on Oct. 27.

"It was mildly unexpected. We knew we were going to be closing down," said shop coordinator Simone Parker.

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"The really short notice, at the end of this month was really unexpected, they found another person to take over our lease."

'Not sustainable'

Parker said the shop didn't have enough money to stay open.

"We're not sustainable, we're not making enough to stay open, to cover our overhead costs even though it's a not-for-profit," she said.

The shop had moved locations a few times, from Eau Claire Market, to the old Ant Hill building in Kensington, to Mission, to a building near Chinook Centre in south Calgary.

It had a program that allowed people to work in the store to earn a bike or bike parts and hosted free workshops to help people from different marginalized communities learn how to take care of their bikes.

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Parker said the closure is a big loss for the cycling community.

"I think it's really sad actually. We were the biggest and only community bike shop in Calgary for a really long time and I think every city needs to have a community bike shop that is accessible, especially with Calgary moving toward more cycling-friendly infrastructure."

The tools and stands will be put in storage, in the hope someone will be able to reopen the organization one day — staff and members have floated ideas but there's nothing concrete in place yet.

For the next week, all bikes at the store will be 50 per cent off with further discounts on used parts, and donations are no longer being accepted. People looking to donate used bikes can send them to Two Wheel View or other cycling non-profits, the organization said.