The Hub Bike Co-Op Is Closing

Hello Friends, Customers, and Neighbors of The Hub,

In light of continued challenges and changes in the bicycle industry and the financial impact those changes have had on our business, we have come to the decision to close The Hub Bike Co-op. Despite all our efforts to prevent this fate, both the Minnehaha and Oak Street Hub locations will close their doors for good at the end of the day on September 30, 2024. Our hours will remain the same until our final closure. The repair queue will end on August 31st. All repairs currently in our queue will remain unchanged and will be completed on their given due date. 

This is not the fate that any current or former Worker Owners wished to see. The industry trends we had hoped would turn around since 2020 never came to fruition. Under the advice of our Financial Coordinators and the current outlook based on how this year has proceeded, there is simply not a path for The Hub to survive the winter and reemerge in the spring.

The closure of the Minnehaha location in 2023 was a calculated risk, but one we felt was worthwhile in order to be here for our community. Worker Ownership operated and ran our Oak shop while scoping for a better location, but the unusually mild winter and warm, early spring motivated us to reopen the 3020 building on Minnehaha Ave. We were excitedly welcomed back and were skeptically optimistic about the future. However, as the summer wore on and market conditions showed little improvement from previous seasons, it became clear that our return could not be permanent. 

While we grieve the loss of serving our neighbors and friends, we do not take this closure as a failure. Instead, we are proud of who The Hub has been for this community, and we have come to the decision based on the very values on which this cooperative was founded, with unified consensus. We know that this is what’s best for everyone immediately affected by the cooperative; that is a core strength of the cooperative system. We also came to this difficult decision with the understanding that we too are among those affected and the desire to care for our people as best we can.. 

We are saddened at the finality of this decision, and we are grieving. Yet we don’t want our closure to be a somber event. We will be celebrating 22 years of The Hub: your inclusive, cooperatively owned, values-driven local bike shop. 

We want to thank all who shaped the Hub:

We thank our former and current employees who grew and molded the shop through their skills, creativity, and determination. The folks who tirelessly brought their ideas to life via discussion and consensus decisions, showing incredible patience and resiliency to rethinking how businesses run.

We thank our cycling teams for representing us on podiums and trails, wearing The Hub colors proudly. Thank you for being ambassadors of our motto: “All types of bikes for all types of people.”

We thank our partners who have collaborated with us in supporting BIPOC, Femme, and LGBTQ+ communities and helped us reimagine how a bike shop can support the community. 

We thank former Worker Owners and their relentless passion and grit to create a cooperative with integrity and endless support. 

And finally, we thank our customers, who chose us time and time again. Every time you walked through our doors, whether to buy a bike, dig through used parts, allow our trained service techs to fix your trusty steed, learn about bike maintenance and resources from our classes and workshops, or just say hi, you helped us create and sustain the kind of cooperative, inclusive community that we want to see in the world outside the shop’s walls. You in fact are that community, and we know you will carry it with you with every pedal stroke. 

Please stay tuned for announcements about closing sales, events, and limited edition Hub merchandise as we invite old and new friends to celebrate the legacy of The Hub Bike Co-Op. 

With love and solidarity,

Worker-Owners of The Hub Bike Co-op

Andrew Magill-Grimm

Brian Dowdy

Cristina Montoya

David Lee

Jens Hoifeldt

Lisa Olson