ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) –An Albuquerque bike shop, that’s been around for nearly half a century, is closing its doors. The Bike Coop near Yale and Central says they’ve been so overwhelmed with crime, they can longer stay open.
The Bike Coop is a local business that’s been around for 46 years in Albuquerque. It’s been at the location on Yale and Central for 13 years, but now it’s saying goodbye. Owner Amanda Batty says despite her passion for bikes, growing crime has become too much to handle. The store has suffered from smashed windows, graffiti, and broken doors, but it was a call about a trespasser last week, that finally put her over the edge.
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“That was it, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back and I thought, ok I can’t do this anymore, I can’t live like this anymore,” says Amanda Batty, Bike Coop owner.
Batty says she manages the store on her own and has been dealing with issues on a monthly basis. She says repairs are running her into the thousands of dollars a month, and she can’t keep up with the expenses.
“There comes a point where you’re swimming upstream and turns out the stream is a waterfall,” says Batty.
The Bike Coop notified customers of the closing through email. They say they’ll be finishing up any commitments with their customers before they officially close.
“Yeah I’m bummed out, you have to start a new relationship with a new shop, find somebody that you can trust…it will be sadly missed,” says Steven Baker, Bike Coop customer.
The Bike Coop has a non-profit organization called, More Butts On Bikes. It provides free bikes to children in the community. They say the non-profit will continue through their website. Batty says she’s grateful for the community’s support all of these years.
“We’ve been open for 46 years and this is absolutely the end of an era, but it would not have been possible without everybody who has kept us afloat,” says Batty.
The Bike Coop says they will have their final closing sale on Memorial Day weekend. Some of the proceeds from the final sales will go to fund the non-profit.
