With help from friends, our bike shop status spreadsheet has gone national

Map of bike shop statuses during the COVID-19 outbreak created by Chris King Precision Components and Portland Design Works

Way back on the morning of March 17th, as the COVID-19 pandemic was becoming very real to Portlanders, I emailed all the bike shop owners in Portland (give or take a few I left out at first – sorry!) and asked how they were adapting to the virus and how the community could help them through it.

Their responses became part of a Google Sheet that I’ve continued to update daily ever since. There are currently 53 shop statuses listed along with a link to where people can buy gift cards or shop online. The goal of this little effort is to help would-be customers find out if their favorite shop is open and best to go about getting help with a product or service. It’s also a good business-to-business resource because it allows shop owners and managers to compare notes and learn from each other.

Since it was published, the data has been used and viewed in lots of ways by lots of people.

The site PDX SOS, which sprung up to help bolster local small businesses, imported the data and made a separate page on their site just for Portland bike shops. Bicycling took note of the effort in a March 25th story titled, How You Can Support Bike Shops, Event Organizers, and Cycling Non-Profits.

Advertisement

The thing I’m most excited about is how friends at Portland Design Works grabbed the idea and ran with it. As you might have already read in Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, they teamed up with Portland-based Chris King Precision Components and really put the idea on the map. Literally! They also took it to the next level and now have the status of hundreds of bike shops nationwide listed on a cool, interactive map! Any bike shop can participate by filling out a quick online form.

PDW and Chris King have the same goal as BikePortland: to help bike shops and the people who need them.

I’m very happy how this turned out. It’s at the core of why BikePortland exists: To identify what our community needs in a time of crisis, gather the information from the right sources, then put in a central location where it enlighten and inspire everyone.

Have a great weekend everyone! And remember to keep your distance if you go outside.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
— Get our headlines delivered to your inbox.
— Support this independent community media outlet with a one-time contribution or monthly subscription.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me 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.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

9 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
David Hampsten
David Hampsten
3 years ago

I can tell you that for the community I live in, we have 6 shops, but only one is currently open, and the map accurately lists it!

Harald Kliems
3 years ago

Hm, it would have been nice if PDW had reached out to state and local bike orgs to coordinate efforts. We have spent a lot of time and effort creating a map for Wisconsin shops and reaching out to each of them for information. https://www.madisonbikes.org/bike_shop_status

Alan 1.0
3 years ago

Thanks to whoever got the batchgeo.com map back up! This morning it was over quota. Very cool to see how it’s growing, now international with a shop in the UK.

Toby Keith
Toby Keith
3 years ago

Don’t know if anybody heard it yet, but Outer Rim cycles is closing. The good news is they are re-opening right across the street in a larger building.

Matt
Matt
3 years ago
Reply to  Toby Keith

So… Not closing, but moving?

Glamorous Jim
Glamorous Jim
3 years ago

The Missing Link on SE Woodstock is open but doesn’t show up on the map.

Ross Sherbak
Ross Sherbak
3 years ago

I believe WashCo Bikes in Hillsboro is open, per an email sent out a week or so ago.

TonyPDX
TonyPDX
3 years ago

Bike Frequency, in FoPo, has been open.