Businesses get into the art of bike racks
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on February 16th, 2010 at 10:47 am
More and more local businesses are eschewing the utilitarian and mundane City-issue bike racks and opting instead for a more artistic version. There are a lot of reasons this might be happening: Perhaps it’s a way stand out in the crowd (now that bike parking is no longer a novelty); or maybe it’s a way to do some clever branding.
Whatever the reason. I like it.
Who says vehicle parking has to be all function and no form? Here are a few examples I’ve seen around town recently:

(Photo: Gant Enderle)
The racks above — in the shape of gender symbols — are in front of the newly opened Planned Parenthood Regional Service Center at 3727 NE Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. Gant Enderle of B & G Builders Inc., sent in the photo. He tells us that project designer Gunnar Langhus came up with the plan for the racks (they were fabricated by B&G). On a side note, B & G is also behind Bike Gallery’s eco-friendly Beaverton store.

(Photo: Jennifer Jako)
This beautiful rack is in front of Lovejoy Bakery at 939 Northwest 10th Ave. in the Pearl District. It was created by Fix, a North Portland-based design studio. Jennifer Jako from Fix sent in the photo and said the inspiration came from Dan Griffin, the head baker. “He’s an avid cyclist and requested a rack that would accommodate a lot of bikes.”

This nifty rack is in front of a dentist’s office on the corner of N. Interstate and Jessup. I don’t much about it but I do know that it’s my kid’s favorite rack — tooth fairy parking! (That is, when she too tired to fly.)
If you’re a business owner and want to install an art rack, visit the City of Portland’s “Non-Standard Bicycle Racks” website. They’ve got all the details on the process, getting the permit, finding the racks, and so on.

Jonathan Maus is BikePortland’s editor, publisher and founder. Contact him at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.
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