(Photos © J. Maus)
The bike parking facility we told you about last month and that first appeared mysteriously back in 2009, is just a few days from officially opening.
The ‘Portland Bike Station’ (not to be confused with Bikestation) is in the ground floor of the Dekum Building at SW 3rd and Washington downtown. The facility is being run by the Full Holy Ghost Ministry, which has its headquarters on Killingsworth Street in North Portland. Bishop Kenneth Sims, whom I met today, says he looks forward to providing a full suite of amenities for downtown bike riders.
Expected to open on Monday, Bishop Sims says customers will find secure bike parking, accessories to purchase, changing rooms, a full-service repair shop, and eventually showers. The space isn’t completely built out yet, but Sims and other members of his congregation are busy working out the final details.
Bishop Sims is well aware that the ‘Bike Station’ name might get him into some legal trouble with Mobis Transportation Alternatives, Inc, the corporate arm of the well-known Bikestation franchise; but for now, he’s moving forward.
“We’ve been working on this since 2009,” he told me today, “we had ‘Bike Station’ in the window. If anyone wants to talk to me about it, they could have contacted me by now.”
The logo features a vintage trike.
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The interior is still being worked on.
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How does a small church in North Portland come to open a bike parking business downtown? “The Lord made all this happen,” the Bishop says with a smile, “It would be impossible to tell you how it all came together… Our CEO is the Holy Ghost.”
The inside of the space, and Sims’ charm, combine to make this operation feel like a small neighborhood bike shop — that just happens to be in a high-rent location. Sims says he’s still looking for help. He wants to know what bike commuters want and there’s a link to a short survey posted on the window.
If you’re in the neighborhood, poke your head in and say hi. As the business evolves, Portland Bike Station could become an important community resource right in the heart of Portland.