Bikery (Seattle, WA, USA)

The Bikery

Website	http://www.thebikery.org
Email	info@thebikery.org
Founded	2005
Location	Seattle, Washington, USA
Language	English
Services Offered	DIY Repair Services Pay Repair Services Workshops Bicycle Courses Group Rides Bicycle Advocacy
Mission Statement	The Bikery empowers Seattle bicyclists and encourages cycling through collaborative hands-on education, social engagement, and fun!

The Bikery is an all-volunteer run, non-profit, community bike project located in Seattle, nestled between the central district and the international district. We are here to provide the tools and resources to help you learn about your bike and fix it yourself. We strive to create an inviting framework to engage people from all backgrounds regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, class, age, or ability. Together we can define and implement our vision of community and bicycle culture together.

Contact Info

info@thebikery.org

845 Hiawatha Pl S, Seattle, WA 98144

History

The idea of a community bike kitchen in Seattle began on a bike ride across the United Kingdom in 2005. Co-founders Josh, Eric, Ben, and Lacey were participating in the G8 Bike Ride, in which more than 70 cyclists rode from London, England to Auchterarder, Scotland to protest nuclear proliferation. The Seattle-based cyclists started talking about how to create a bike project that would connect cyclists to other justice issues.

Back in Seattle, the founding group grew to include Andrea, Katie, Chevalier, Davey, Benji, Jax, Donald, Ellie, Ken and Kari. Over the course of several months these enterprising cyclists, punks, anarchists, and organizers met to discuss their approach to an anti-oppressive teaching space. The organizers wanted to challenge the white supremacy and cisheteropatriarchy they saw in even the most well-intentioned punk and anarchist spaces. They wanted to create a place to get mechanical help from experts with their hands in their pockets. The group raised money for necessary tools and equipment through ‘Secret Cafe’ nights, alley cat races, and scavenger hunts. The project took inspiration from BICAS in Tucson, where some of the organizers had been volunteers before coming to Seattle.

Beginning in 2005 Bikery volunteers started setting up a community bike repair shop in the parking lot of the Key Bank formerly at 24th and Union. All the tools and equipment were kept in the basement of the punk house across the street, and carried to the parking lot every Sunday. The bikery was incorporated as a nonprofit in Washington State on October 18, 2006. After two years in the parking lot, the group created a partnership with the Garfield Community Center and operated there for about a year. Volunteers had the cops called on them numerous times while shuttling bike parts and tools between 24th and Union and the Community Center because they looked like they were stripping bikes.

In 2008, the Bikery moved into its first brick-and-mortar shop space at 14th and South Main when an anonymous donor provided funding for a year of rent. The shop operated in the International District until 2013 when Working Dog Bikes vacated the space. The Bikery has had its up and downs throughout its 15-year history, but its continued relevance attests to the validity and need for mutual aid and collaborative teaching spaces. Bikes are community-building tools of protest against oil-dependent capitalism and patriarchal norms of bodily autonomy. In a world where access to education and knowledge is expensive and racist, spaces like the Bikery provide accessible and safer places to learn skills from peers, as well as build community.

Services Offered

Open Shop

Our open shop hours are Saturdays and Sundays 12-6 pm. For access to our stands, tools, and resources we have a sliding scale of $5-15/hr, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Parts and Bikes

We sell used and new bike parts to support our mission. All the used parts and bikes we have are donated to us, which allows us to sell them at a low cost. All of the parts available for sale are priced based on the individual part. Please consult with the Bikery volunteers on staff to determine the cost of any particular item. We have some bikes that were refurbished by volunteers for sale at low cost. Come down and check them out!

If you have some bikes or parts you want to donate, feel free to bring them down to us whenever we are open. We can't take everything because we have limited space, but we will try our best!

To see the bikes we currently have for sale, go to www.thebikery.org/store.

Classes

The Bikery offers a variety of classes on different topics relating to bike maintenance, repair, and bicycle culture. More information about our upcoming classes can be found at www.thebikery.org.

Location

The Bikery is located in the Central District of Seattle, Washington. Our entrance is on Hiawatha Pl S, near the intersection of Rainier and Charles.

See Also

• Community Bicycle Organizations