Volunteer-run Bike Pirates moving to new location in Parkdale next year

There is a long list of reasons why Bike Pirates is re-locating, according to volunteer Christy Shapley, most importantly, its rent is going up more than 38 per cent.

"Bike shops influence gentrification of neighbourhoods and then they get squeezed out," she told The Villager, Wednesday, Dec. 17, amid stacks of bikes and boxes ready to be moved.

Bike Pirates hopes to be functioning in some sort of capacity in its new home in Parkdale by the second week of January, Shapley said.

To help fund the move and re-establishment in Parkdale, Bike Pirates launched an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign. The goal is to raise $20,000 for the not-for-profit organization’s move and renovations of its new space.

That figure was arrived at by estimating how munch money went into improvements at the 1292 Bloor St. W. location, Shapley said.

"We had to put in all the wiring in the basement; we put in an accessible washroom and a kitchen," she said.

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With the move, Bike Pirates is almost doubling its work space.

"We’re a victim of our own success," Shapley said. "We received too many donations we couldn’t process. This was our busiest summer yet."

Shapley attributes this in part to the high unemployment in the city.

"More people can’t afford to go to the bike shop to fix their bike," she said. "Using a bike is also the most affordable way to get around town."

There’s a movement among people to do things for themselves – like fixing their bikes, she added. Bike Pirates is entirely volunteer-run and funded 100 per cent by donations.

"Everything is pay-what-you-can," Shapley said. "We sell as cheap as distributors will let us. We’ve never gotten any government grants."

The new space will allow for more workspace and the opportunity to expand its programming. It’ll mean more than one washroom and the key to improving how Bike Pirates operates as a community hub.

"It’s really amazing places like this exist in Toronto," she said. "There seems to be more cyclists in the city despite what our previous mayor has said about cycling."

It’s expensive to own and maintain a car in the city, even ride public transit, she added.

If you’re not able to donate monetarily to the crowd-funding campaign, Bike Pirates welcomes anyone who is willing and able to help move or lend some of their skills. It is also looking for donations of a stove, tools and items like filing cabinets.

For further details and to check out the Indiegogo campaign, visit bikepirates.com or its Facebook page.