As you may now be aware, Whistler’s oldest independent bike store recently closed its doors.
Whistler Bike Co. opened in 1994 in the Delta, running opposite seasons to Summit Ski.
I had the great good fortune to manage the Whistler Bike Co. for many years after the owners relocated to more fallow pastures upon their purchase of the Pemberton Bike Co. in 2000.
I will leave it to others to editorialize on the current environment in Whistler for commercial real estate and small business; local retailers know it’s a tough row to hoe.
I would like to thank Whistler Bike Co.’s owners—Johnny and Pete—for entrusting me to run their Whistler store and for providing a fun business culture and unique year-end staff rides.
Thanks to our many local and loyal customers who kept us busy over the years. It was a great pleasure to get you out onto the trails and to keep you rolling when your bikes needed repair.
Thanks also to the many colourful characters I worked with over the last two decades. The Bike Co. diaspora is spread far afield—from Colombia to New Zealand to France and all over the U.K.
And a final word of thanks to my last two work colleagues in Whistler—Andrew and Wez. We fixed and sold a lot of bikes! Couldn’t have done it without you, gents.
Rest assured the good times will continue at the Pemberton Bike Co. Looking forward to seeing everyone there, or better yet… See you on the trails!
