Skip to main content

Peachtree Bikes

I'm pretty sure that Wednesday night was the most devastating night of my entire career.  Peachtree Bikes in Atlanta burned down.  

Typing those words brings tears to my ears.  I'll let ya Google it, the images and videos and reports with speculations.  I'm gonna let you know what it was to be a part of it.

My phone died after work that evening and I was spending time with family all night, so by the time I got in my car and had my phone plugged in, it was 10p.  I drove up Peachtree Road and got to a road block a block from our shop.  As soon as I got there and turned down the detour road, my phone literally went nuts.  The number of notifications coming in were insane.  So much so that I had to pull over while they started popping up.  I couldn't read most of them, but saw some familiar names of co-workers and friends and sorta just knew.  

I drove around the corner to find my co-workers standing in our parking lot.  When I got out of my car I looked up and saw the blown out windows and shear darkness and lost it.  Our shop was gone. 

The next couple of hours were filled with tears (mostly on my end), stories and questions....

I walked to the front of the building that has faced Peachtree Road since the 1960's and it was then and there that I truly realized it was gone.  Everything my bosses have worked so hard for went up in flames in less than a few minutes and all we have left is a shell and a bunch of memories.

If you worked there or were a customer there, you have a memory of Peachtree Bikes.  These are some of mine...

I've spent the majority of my days over the past 3 years with a bunch of dudes in a place that smells like tire rubber.  I've laughed my ass off.  Had some great beers.  Met some really interesting characters! Been to a few AWESOME parties. I've yelled.  I've cried.  I've been inspired and incredibly confused at times.  I've cut myself on a box cutter that is WAY too dull for most people, but "kid" friendly for an accident-prone girl like me.  I've questioned my own sanity and those of others (mostly theirs :-).  I've been able to stand there in my early mornings with my cup of coffee and enjoy the quiet beauty of what I do.  I've grown there.  I've learned there.  I've pushed myself further than I thought I could go.  I've cleaned and organized.  I made Rolodex's (yeah, they still exist, y'all).  I've met some INCREDIBLE people who make some of the craziness of retail worth it.  I've learned lessons and have a million of those "remember that time..." moments.  

I've spent more time in that little space than I have in my own home simply because, it's my job.

The last couple of days have been a blur filled with so many emotions.  I'm not sure what tomorrow or next week will bring, but I will tell you this:

I work for and with some pretty awesome people whose first questions were, "where are we going to put our pop-up shop?".  The out pour of love, support, condolences and "what can we do for you?" questions has been overwhelming to the point it's brought me to tears.  I'm a part of an awesome community of cyclists who have banded together to let us know that they love us.  I cannot begin to tell you how much that helps me get through my day.

 We'll start looking to the future and what our "new normal" is and we'll be better and stronger.

 **Some people have asked what they can do to help and our answer is this:  shop at our Sandy Springs store and tell your friends.  We're there and waiting for ya with arms wide open.**
#peachtreebikes #showusyourtee
    
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Questions? Comments? Share away!

Buzz kill? Keep on moving!

Popular posts from this blog

Daughter.

When you're estranged from not one, but basically both parents, the heaviness of that can still be palpable. Most days, most weeks, and months even, it's fine. I've learned to navigate questions like, "Where do your parents live?" or the weird feeling in my gut when someone says, "Oh, my mom sent me this from this favorite place of mine." I've learned how to adjust to Mother's and Father's Days by staying off of social media and doing something that makes me happy like getting out into nature. Some of these times are better than others. Here's the thing: whether or not the choice to go no contact with the two people who were supposed to show you all the basis of love was good or not, is incredibly difficult. Because social media is what it is, yesterday was apparently "International Daughters Day". It didn't bother me so much yesterday, but this morning wasn't off to a great start and for some reason, I felt agitated. I ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Goodbye.

 “I don’t know if I should congratulate you or console you.” - Craig “How about both?” - Me This was a conversation in our kitchen earlier this week. After a year and a half of weekly therapy, I had my last session with my therapist Tuesday. Not because I was over it or because it wasn’t working or because he retired. Nope. Because we got to a place where we could both say I’ve got the tools I need to move on. I have to say that there is no timeline for therapy and every situation is unique. I moved on from intensive therapy with my therapist because that it was worked for ME. I am certainly no expert and I have a feeling this isn’t the end of my therapy forever, but I do know that my experience with the right person allowed me to heal in ways I literally never thought possible. And it gave me the experience of a healthy “goodbye”. I was never prepared for that, so when we set an end date (not-so-coincidentally my Nanna’s birthday), it was hard to process. No one talks ab...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bikes!

Twenty years ago this month, I moved to Georgia and got a job at a local bike shop. My long-term boyfriend from my early twenties was an avid cyclist and bike mechanic. He had gotten a job wrenching at a local shop, Bicycles Unlimited. I was 19 and looking for a retail job since, at that point, it was all I knew. The shop was owned by a family and they were welcoming to this young girl working there with ZERO experience. I started on the sales floor and moved on to inventory management. It was my first foray into the inner workings of small businesses. More importantly, this was my introduction to the bicycle industry which has been one of the most meaningful relationships I've ever had.  I'd say 75% of the people I know in my life can be credited to a bicycle. Whether it be through rides, shops, or sponsors... I have met some of the most inspiring and influential people because of a BIKE. Some of the most fulfilling experiences I've had have been on a bike or because of bi...
Post a Comment
Read more