(Updated at 5:10 p.m.) Phoenix Bikes, a local nonprofit and community bike shop, has officially moved. The shop started moving yesterday from its Four Mile Run location into a new home inside the Arlington Mill Community Center (909 S Dinwiddie St).
Meg Rapelye, executive director of Phoenix Bikes, said the shop is planning to open next week. The exact date is still pending an approval of a certificate of occupancy, but an official ribbon cutting is planned for next Wednesday (Sept. 12).
The new location is three times the size of the former Phoenix Bikes shop. Rapelye said the crew at the shop was most excited to have an air conditioning unit and some indoor plumbing, amenities that weren’t available at the small Four Mile Run workshop.
According to Rapelye, the new location is also closer to many of the youth communities the store serves and can help bring some revitalization to the western end of Columbia Pike.
The nonprofit’s mission is to promote bicycling, build community and educate young people by running a mentorship program for students looking to learn more about repairing and selling bikes. It just marked its 10th anniversary last year.