Just a couple of the many bikes that make up one half of The Brake Room. Photo by Brock Ormond, QNet News.
By Brock Ormond [1]
BELLEVILLE – A new Belleville business uses bicycles and coffee to create a successful operation.
The Brake Room [2], a bike café that held its grand opening in early June, provides bicycle repair service to city riders while they get their caffeine fix.
Reviews on the unusual shop have been unanimously positive so far. 34 people have rated it five stars on The Brake Room’s Facebook page [3].
The Brake Room owner Adam Tilley says he’s happy with the amount of quick success his shop has had since it opened in June. Photo: Brock Ormond, QNet News.
Bike cafés come to North America from European countries such as Scotland [3] and the Netherlands [3]. Some cities, like Vancouver [4] and Chicago [5], have opened bicycle and coffee shops in the past few years.
Shop owner Adam Tilley is a local to the area and explains his reasoning for building a business of this nature in Belleville.
“It seemed like a good time to build a business focused on healthy active living, with the tone being set for food and drink in the County and the northern end looking more at active living and exploration.”
Despite the shop opening just a few months ago, word has gotten around town quickly about the two-in-one setup. Business has grown from the connections made with the public and it required Tilley to recently hire another body to help around the shop.
“We actually didn’t expect to grow as fast as we had. We expected to get through our first year with just the two of us, but very quickly we realized that if we wanted to grow in the ways that we are, that we would need an extra set of hands around here,” he said.
Bike mechanic Caleb Murray said that he and Tilley first met while working at Starbucks about eight years ago and then came together again when Tilley called him about starting the new business.
Murray admitted he was pleasantly surprised about the great reception the shop has received so far.
“It’s always nice to be acknowledged for hard work and creativity,” Murray said.
Bike mechanic Caleb Murray smiles for the camera while sitting on his bicycle. He says he hopes to see a junior mechanic come in that he can train as his workload gets bigger. Photo: Brock Ormond, QNet News.
Murray said being on the mechanic’s end, where he can use different parts and tools is something that has interested him for a long time and he says he feels he brings something good to the table for the business.
“I’ve always been pretty handy and creative, I like doing finicky little stuff. I remember when I was a kid I liked to take apart watches and try to put them back together.”
“Try – emphasis on the try,” Murray added with a smile.
When asked about potentially growing the business even more and opening other locations, Tilley said it wasn’t out of the question.
“I wouldn’t say it’s too early to think about expansion. We’re not going to do it in the next few years, but it’s definitely on the table and we are open to considering it as opportunities present themselves.”
The Brake Room is located on 34 Dundas St. East [6] in Belleville. For more information on the shop, including hours, visit thebrakeroom.com [2].