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    Downtown Bike Shop Replacing B1Bicycles on Long Street

    After nearly nine years of serving Downtown customers, local retailer B1 Bicycles has closed its doors at 124 E. Long Street. The shop was an “early adopter” in the resurgence of Downtown, bringing retail to a stretch of Long Street that had long been deserted, and serving as a catalyst for their block where Spoonful Records and the Long Street Collective tattoo shop could follow.

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    Owner Casey Karnes confirmed the closure yesterday, following the start of product removal and shutdown over the course of the past week.

    The space won’t sit empty for long though. Chad Shepherd is already working to open the aptly-named Downtown Bike Shop, a new bike sales and repair store in half of the space, while the other half is slated to become a new floral shop.

    “We’re going to be opening hopefully in March,” said Shepherd. “It’s going to be a lot different from B1. We’ll focus mostly on repairs, tubes, lights, and other basic stuff. We’ll sell some used bikes as well. It will have a real DIY aesthetic.”

    Shepherd has worked as a bike messenger since 1999, and has worked in bike retail at both B1 and Handy Bikes over the past decade. He said that there’s an opportunity to continue servicing bikes from the Long Street locale, given its proximity to the riverfront bike trails and the growing Downtown population.

    “I live Downtown too, so I want to help out my Downtown people,” he said.

    Once fully operational, the Downtown Bike Shop will likely be open from 11am to 7pm on Mondays through Saturdays, although Shepherd said that hours will be appointment-only for the first month as he transitions out of bike courier services.

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    Walker Evans
    Walker Evanshttps://columbusunderground.com
    Walker Evans is the co-founder of Columbus Underground, along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.
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