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Broomwagon Coffee and Bikes houses both a bike shop and a cafè (with coffee, food and beer) in a unique historic building located on the corner of North Limestone Street and Loudoun Avenue. Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders
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Broomwagon Coffee and Bikes houses both a bike shop and a cafè (with coffee, food and beer) in a unique historic building located on the corner of North Limestone Street and Loudoun Avenue. Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders
The loving relationship between bikes and beer can be traced back as far as 1897, the year the Montana newspaper Anaconda Standard highlighted a story about two brewers who raced their bikes from Centennial Brewery in Butte, Montana, to Hot Springs Brewery in Anaconda. In more recent years, bicycle brewery tours and bike shop/pub combos have been making a bit of a resurgence, with Lexington in the thick of it.
“Our vision is to create a community hub for bike culture,” said Adam Drye, co-owner of Broomwagon Coffee and Bikes, a bike shop featuring an in-store cafè that opened in a rehabbed historic building on North Limestone in 2015. Broomwagon carries a variety of new bicycles, including commuter, hybrid, BMX, kids’ bikes, road bikes and mountain bikes; it also carries all the necessary accessories for daily commuting or weeklong bike adventures, such as cycling racks, pannier bags, helmets, gloves and shoes, as well as its own line of Broomwagon apparel: tank tops, hoodies, hats and T-shirts, with a revolving set of designs. The shop also offers bike repair services, with open-bar seating along the mechanic’s work area where customers can have a snack – or a beer – while waiting on their bikes to be completed.
With the cafè side of the shop offering brunch, sandwiches, soups, milkshakes, tea and beer – as well as bicycle delivery options during weekday lunch hours – Broomwagon has created an atmosphere for cyclists and non-cyclists to come together in a mixed-use space. The venue hosts popular old-time music jams on Monday nights, as well as trivia, comedy shows, workshops and other regular events. And while the bike shop, cafè and adjacent beer garden each has its own unique clientele base, the business relies and builds on the crossover crowds, as well.
Last fall, the local beer-and-bikes community added a new shop: Bicycle Face, located at the corner of Short Street and Elm Tree Lane. Getting its tongue-and-cheek name from a hysteric 19th-century medical condition intended largely to scare women away from cycling, the young business is spinning this misogynistic approach to cycling in a new direction that encourages everyone to seek the joy of bike riding. The shop’s staff offers more than 100 years combined experience in the bicycle industry and features a strong focus on the level of customer service.
Bicycle Face manager Jack Baugh recently explained why cold beers were integrated into the shop’s business model: “For as long as I can remember, every ride has been capped off by one.”
But even more important than the refreshment that beer can bring after a long bike ride, he added, is its uncanny ability to bring people together in a shared space.
“We do love beer, but what we love more is the camaraderie that it brings,” he said. “Cycling can be very intimidating, and a beer or two can certainly lower the shields and help let others in – like most sports, cycling is best enjoyed with others.”
With large garage-door-style industrial windows that allow for the option of outdoor seating, and a bar area that’s front, central and visible from the the street, Bicycle Face aims to provide an open-door environment for the local community, whether they are fans of beer, bikes or both. Formerly occupied by Print Lex and J. Peterman office space, the 4,200-square-foot shop’s inventory offers a growing selection of new bicycles, apparel and accessories, and has also expanded into the skateboarding market as well. By offering a revolving selection of eight beers on tap, as well as nitro coffee and a selection of bottled drinks for all ages, the business is equipped to quench your thirst, no matter what it might be.
“We want a space that is comfortable for someone to come from work and get out of their cubicle, a space that a seasoned cyclist can give pointers to someone getting out on their first ride, and a meeting space for anyone,” Baugh said.
As Lexington’s cycling community continues to grow alongside its craft beer market, it’s likely an increasing number of beer-and-bike combo shops will open their doors in the near future – including Crankworks Bicycles, where owner Bill Crank has confirmed plans to soon serve beer at his Southland Drive location by mid-May, hopefully in time for the annual Bicycle Velo Swap (a flea-market-esque bicycle rummage sale in the back room of Crankworks Bicycle Shop, taking place May 12 at 10 a.m.).
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With eight rotating beers on draft and a large inventory of bikes and cycling accessories, Bicycle Face is a new destination spot for cyclists and beer drinkers alike. Photo by Jeanna Justice
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With eight rotating beers on draft and a large inventory of bikes and cycling accessories, Bicycle Face is a new destination spot for cyclists and beer drinkers alike. Photo by Jeanna Justice
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With eight rotating beers on draft and a large inventory of bikes and cycling accessories, Bicycle Face is a new destination spot for cyclists and beer drinkers alike. Photo by Jeanna Justice
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With eight rotating beers on draft and a large inventory of bikes and cycling accessories, Bicycle Face is a new destination spot for cyclists and beer drinkers alike. Photo by Jeanna Justice