Local Business Spotlight: Fairmount Bicycles, 2015 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Behind the Business

The owner of Fairmount bicycles, Shelly Walker, has been an entrepreneur since she was a kid. She has always loved taking an idea, building it up, and making it work. This business-minded background is what helped launch Fairmount Bicycles. A good friend of Shelly’s was selling bikes on Craigslist and Shelly wanted to help expand it to something really special. Their beginnings started in West Philly, then moved to warehouse space in Kensington and eventually found their home in the Fairmount Area. Fairmount Bicycles is a true community business emphasizing inclusivity, acceptance, and love.

Why Fairmount

Discovering the Fairmount Area was truly a happy accident. Shelly happened to stumble upon Fairmount Avenue when she was biking from West Philly to the warehouse in Kensington. Fairmount Avenue didn’t have a bike shop and that was one of the pushes that made her choose Fairmount Avenue as the home for her business. For the past 12 years Fairmount Ave has been home to Fairmount Bicycles bringing with it a great neighborhood feel that fits with the business. Neighbors become clients, and clients become friends.

Adapting during Covid

Unlike some other businesses during the pandemic, Fairmount Bicycles didn’t have to shut down completely during the height of 2020. Bicycles are transportation and therefore considered essential so thankfully business was up between March and May of 2020. There were still precautions and safety measures in place to keep employees and customers safe. Employees still wanted to work so schedules were scaled back to only have one employee at a time and customers were not allowed in the shop.

Right now the issue is supply. The world has seemed to run out of bikes and bike parts and keeping up with demand is challenging. Thankfully smaller supply companies are coming through and Fairmount Bicycles is doing their best to re-stock as soon as items become available. Being there for customers is priority number one.

If You’re in the Area

Fairmount Bicycles is your go-to stop for not only bike sales but rentals. They offer a wide variety of Mountain, Road, and comfort bikes as well as bike repair. Looking to be more active and see more of Philadelphia? Consider a bike tour with Fairmount Bicycle’s side project, Philly Bike Tour Co. and get an intimate look at the city! Fairmount Bicycles also launched a Community Card which customers can contribute to that will redistribute funds to help members of the bike community that would not have access to it. You can contribute on their website.