Open for 8th season, SBC's Community Bike Shop now operates four days a week

Springfield Brewing Company's Community Bike Shop is open for the season with new, improved hours.

Located in the basement of The Fairbanks Community Hub at 1126 N. Broadway Ave., the Community Bike Shop is now open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in addition to Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. Previously, the shop was only open one or two nights a week.

Since the bike shop's inception about eight years ago, it has been entirely managed by volunteers. However, this year, The Fairbanks is able to pay shop manager Tim Nelson, which is why hours were able to be extended to four weekdays.

Community Bike Shop founder Neil Chanter said he is "giddy" about the extended hours, which will make the shop more accessible to the community.

In addition to the new, weekday hours, Chanter described the shop's inventory this year as "insane."

"We've got the nicest bikes we've ever had. We've got more equipment than we've ever had, more parts than we've ever had. It's all amazingly well-organized and laid out," Chanter said. "There's a whole bike display room now, so folks can come in and try bikes. There's a whole equipment, kit, gear room now, so folks can come see if there's any used gear or kit they can use."

As of Thursday, the bike shop had 20 free bicycles intended for children six and under, Chanter said. But the majority of the bicycles range between $50-100. All of the proceeds from the bike shop benefit the Drew Lewis Foundation, which operates The Fairbanks.

Chanter said there are some outlier exceptions, as occasionally folks donate high-end bicycles that once sold for a few thousand dollars. When the shop does get bikes of this caliber in, they may be priced at a few hundred dollars. But Chanter wanted to emphasize that these more expensive options are not the norm, as the shop's goal is to offer affordable bicycles to everyone in the community.

The 'highlight of the night'

Originally, the bike shop was scheduled to open on Wednesday, May 1, but due to heavy storms that left the basement of The Fairbanks flooded, opening night was rescheduled to Wednesday, May 8.

Unfortunately inclement weather (area tornado warnings) effected the shop's turnout, but Chanter said one family, who the shop has been serving for several years, returned.

"We had one family in particular where three or four kids, we've literally watched grow up. They first came three or four years ago when they were all tiny to get bikes. Last night, they were there half an hour before opening time to get the best picks of the new inventory and they all left with new bikes, so that was definitely the highlight of the night," Chanter told the News-Leader on Thursday.

Evolving from a 'tiny, little reading room'

Chanter and his wife Christina took over ownership of Springfield Brewing Company in November 2011. As part of their ownership, the Chanters established Springfield Brewing Company Athletics, an endurance sports team made up of cyclists, triathletes and runners.

A few years after getting SBC Athletics up and running, the Chanters were looking for a way to execute community outreach through the team. Fortunately, at the same time, Chanter said, The Fairbanks was looking for a group to open and manage a new community bike shop. Thus, a partnership was born.

Though today the Community Bike Shop encompasses the near entirety of The Fairbanks' basement, it wasn't always this way.

For the first two to three years, the shop was operated in a "tiny, little reading room" in a building adjacent to the main Fairbanks, which Chanter described as "most impractical."

But before long, the bike shop moved over to a corner of The Fairbanks' basement and today, Chanter said the shop takes up most of the space.

"It's absolutely crazy what the guys have been able to do over there," Chanter said.

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Long-term goals for community bike shop

This year, Chanter said the bike shop's goal is to "get our arms around what we've bitten off," as far as the extended hours. But thinking long-term, Chanter said he hopes the extended hours are sustainable enough that there could be discussions of keeping the shop open year-round. Historically, the shop has only been open May through September.

"Long-term, wouldn't it be awesome if not only did the donations keep coming in but the customer base grew and grew and grew and so it was truly 417-wide?" Chanter asked hypothetically. "We get folks from all over the 417, but for a long time, it was predominantly neighborhood-based."

Here's how to get involved

Chanter said there are three ways folks can get involved with the Community Bike Shop, the first of which is to donate unused bicycles, parts and cycling equipment. Donations can be dropped off at the bike shop during weekday operating hours or at the Strong Law office at 901 E. St Louis St. (The Hammons Tower) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"No offense to the people who have got really nice bikes sitting in garages that aren't doing anything, but there's a whole bunch of people who have really nice bikes sitting in garages that aren't doing anything and we want them to donate those bikes," Chanter said.

The second way is to volunteer at the bike shop. On Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m., the shop needs volunteers to help customers. And Mondays from 6-7 p.m. are dedicated to bike repairs. Folks with bike mechanic knowledge are encouraged to come help. Volunteers are encouraged to "just show up," Chanter said, but if they would like to receive more information, they can contact the shop by email at bikeshop@drewlewis.org or phone at 417-612-9490.

"At the very end of the spectrum, in terms of getting involved, is be a customer," Chanter said. "We really do have the biggest inventory we've ever had."

While folks may think of the bike shop as solely a resource for community members in need, Chanter said everyone is welcome to browse the inventory.

"More of the actual cycling community, I think, needs to be actually aware of that you can come to the shop and find some really cool stuff," Chanter added.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SBC's Community Bike Shop now operates four days a week