(HELENA) A Helena organization that refurbishes old bikes and teaches people how to make repairs has moved into a new location.
The Queen City Wheel House officially opened its new shop at 1015 Poplar Street Saturday. The group’s “bike kitchen” previously operated out of the shared M.O.P. Shop workspace west of town.
“This space really gives us the opportunity to expand and better serve the community – and actually have some floor space for refurbishing bikes and inviting the public to come in and have the opportunity to learn how to fix their own bicycles,” said Jeff Kuhn, the shop manager.
Queen City Wheel House is a nonprofit set up in 2016. It takes donations of used, unwanted bikes and parts, then refurbishes them. The group also works with the Helena transfer station to collect bikes that have been thrown away.
“Our whole mission is to take bicycles that might have been discarded, or used parts that we receive as donations, and get them back in a usable form and back out into the community to families – and especially children – that need a bike and might not otherwise afford a bike,” Kuhn said.
The Wheel House is also known for donating some of its refurbished bikes, through events like the Cathedral of St. Helena’s annual Giving Tree. Kuhn said events like that have created more interest in the organization.
“We’ve gotten a lot more inquiries from the public than ever before,” he said.
The Queen City Wheel House’s new shop will be open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They are also planning to open on Wednesday evenings, most likely from around 5 to 9 p.m.
Kuhn said they are always looking for donations of full bikes or parts in any conditions, and for people interested in volunteering. You can find more information about the Wheel House on their website (https://queencitywheelhouse.org/) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/queencitywh/).
