Hello friends of Sally!
We've been quite busy working to get Sally's Bikes connected with different individuals and organizations in Vernon, BC. Hence the gap between updates - oops!
Our very first Bike Valet at Sunshine Festival, announced in the previous post, was a complete success! We had incredibly enthusiastic support from those who we chatted with throughout the day, and especially from those who left their family of bikes with us so that they could enjoy the festival.
This city is full of energetic people who want to see Vernon as a more accessible place via more economic & safe options for transportation (such as more community-oriented cycling programming and more integrated cycling routes). At the Sunshine Festival we met folks from all places: a business prof who believes in sustainable small business, a board member from Kelowna's Cycling Coalition, cyclists (some who actually thought we were Sun Country Cycle's satellite station due to the fancy tent & bike racks that they generously contributed), bike mechanics, kids and families, and so many happy DOGS (Sally's favorite).
Last night, we got to offer our second ever Bike Valet at the first Civic Sounds outdoor concert of the summer. Civic Sounds is located on the Museum/Community Services block where the fountain is at 32 ave & 31st Street. The turnout last night was tremendous! It was so wonderful to see folks dancing and singing along to the Shawn Lightfoot Band in that soggy summer heat. It was also a delight that while setting up, we spotted a group of people who had packed their lawn chairs and all the necessities right onto their bikes. They were standing on the corner scanning the area for bike racks... Needless to say, we waved them over and introduced them to our FREE valet service. They happily parked their bike babies with us and carried on. We met a few more bike-lovers throughout the evening and our small bike rack was full.
We are excited to announce that we will be stationed at Civic Sounds EVERY THURSDAY this summer! While it is a free service, we encourage considering a donation. As we're sure you can imagine, none of this happens for free. Whether it's making sure we have secure fencing, printing brochures/valet stubs or eventually aquiring permanent equipment (we're being generously supported by other small businesses via equipment), we are continuing this project on a very tight budget. It's important to us to create options for cyclists in the downtown core and encourage people to ride instead of driving in this small city. That being said, sustainability is key for community projects to be successful long term. We ask for your support as we support you in enjoying your bike. Please shoot us an email if you're curious about how to get involved or donate.
We are currently working on making merchandise and gathering inventory to begin getting the wheel rolling on our Community Bike Shop. We do not have an actual location or repair capabilities right now but will keep you posted on all of those important developments.
Thank you for staying tuned thus far!
See you next Thursday,
Sally