Gladys Bikes owner Cassie Hidalgo in 2021. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Three well-known Portland bike shops will go through major changes in the coming weeks.
11 days from now there will no longer be a bike shop on SW 10th and Salmon. The Trek Portland Downtown store will close on February 18th and re-open March 1st in a new building 1.2 miles away. And Gladys Bikes, the small but mighty shop that opened on NE Alberta Street in 2014 plans to call it quits. And in a serendipitous cycling situation, Golden Pliers Bike Shop on NE Skidmore will move into the old Gladys Bikes location and take over their lease.
Trek Portland Slabtown will be the new name of the downtown Trek store and a major upgrade as they move out of an older building and into brand new digs on the corner of NW 21st and Raleigh. An employee at the downtown store told BikePortland he’s “pretty excited” about the move. “We had a lot of issues with all the normal downtown shenanigans. I’m looking forward to being in a part of a town that’s a little bit more alive, has more foot traffic, and maybe a little less open drug use.”
The lack of downtown commuters has hurt Trek Portland’s downtown location hard. The new location is in a fast-growing part of northwest where new, multi-story residences and numerous retail business have sprung up in the past few years. If your bike needs repairs, the shop plans to keep their service department open during the move and will send out a truck to pick-up and drop-off customer bikes.
Another shop moving across town is Golden Pliers. This small shop opened on NE Skidmore just east of Interstate in 2018. In a social media post earlier this week, owners Kevin Purcell and Becky Newman said they’d been looking for a new location with more foot traffic and it just so happened Gladys Bikes lease was up for renewal. “We’re honored and obliged to step into the space,” Purcell and Newman said, referring to an offer from Gladys owner Cassie Hidalgo to make the move.
“We’re seeking a livelier area with more foot traffic, more retail neighbors, a little more room, and a building with some character and history. And this spot ticks all the boxes,” Purcell and Newman posted.
Golden Pliers should be moved into the new space by the second week of March.
And after a 10-year run, Gladys Bikes will say goodbye to Portland. The shop first opened in 2013 on N Williams Avenue with former owner Leah Benson at the helm and was purchased by Hidalgo in 2020 (just as the Covid emergency was declared).
“There isn’t one specific reason why we’ve come to this decision but rather several industry changes, financial situations, and the perfect timing of our lease being up; now really is a great time to end this 10 year chapter for us,” Hidalgo posted to the Gladys Bikes website this week. “We are hopeful the people will keep the vibes going and that bike shops in general will hold themselves to a higher standard of inclusion and kindness even through these hard industry times.”
You can support Gladys and their crew as they venture onto new adventures by grabbing some gear at big discounts now through February 10th. From February 13th to 17th, you can make an offer on store fixtures and whatever’s left.
The post-pandemic-boom-and-bust cycle has hit many shops hard. We are lucky in Portland to have quality places to find essential gear, advice, and service. Thank you Cassie for sharing Gladys Bikes with us, and good luck to everyone as you embark on these exciting changes!
