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Last Saturday was the first glorious day of summer in Portland. A light breeze drifts deep, verdant smells through the sunshine and 80 degrees. After using Grant Park as our office for a few hours, we decide to take my wife’s bike to our new neighborhood bikeshop,
Velo Cult.
We live in the Hollywood neighborhood and had heard rumors about this place known only to us as the "new bikebar" (different from "bikerbar") - a bikeshop and bar combined. Awesome!
This perfect Portland business combines two things dear to Portlanders – beer and bicycles – so it will probably do well. According to
bikeportland.org, “Velo Cult's mission (is to be) a meeting place and bike-cultural worship center.”
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| Worship these saddles made from the hide of the golden calf. |
We feel right at home as we drink our first beer. The staff chats us up and the Dog does her meet and greet. But, it doesn’t feel quite right,
so we pull out the Facebook machines, um, I mean, MacBook and iPad. Now it feels like Portland.
Big windows and skylights fill the space with warm natural light. High ceilings, exposed trusses and rough-sawn lumber construction compliment polished chrome and stained trim. The gentle light and suggestive colors are perfect and I happened to have my camera.
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| George, Tom and Scott the mechanic-bartenders. |
Thanks to Velo Bike Cult for letting me photograph their shop!
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| A super-futuristic platform makes the bike hover. Alien-tech is cool. |
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| Guardian of the back door. |
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| The Dog is pooped from all the belly rubs. Too bad the state will exile her when Velo Cult's kitchen starts running. |
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| You can tell by the moody shadows and symbolic light switch this handlebar sculpture is a critique on contemporary society. |
