It always seems perfectly normal to have kids floating around in bike shops. Reading or drawing quietly in a corner. Doing some re-stocking. Putting hands on bikes even, with the right amount of age & maturity-appropriate supervision. Entertaining everyone by talking to a telemarketer who wants to speak to the person in charge. That’s the nature of a family business.  

Now the ratio of things has shifted dramatically in a short amount of time, but for most of my years in the industry, the vast majority of bike shops have been family affairs. That’s both by blood and also acquired from time spent in the trenches of non-corporate businesses. I could certainly fill a large table for Thanksgiving just with my earned bike shop family. There would even have to be a carefully chosen seating arrangement so everyone would have the opportunity to be on their best behavior. 

A lot has changed on the shop floor and behind the bench in more recent years and one other reality both in North Vancouver, and I’m certain many other centers, is that many folks swinging wrenches and slinging tires aren’t self-sustaining anymore. I’m not saying they’re not helping and hawking hard but when it comes to money in and money out wage gains simply haven’t come within rocket range of cost-of-life increases. 

Most of the local folks I know working in shops either have a partner with higher earning potential or are doing it part-time to supplement their own main source of income. In either case, if said employees are going to have a grom(s) of their own then there will be days – [early dismissal days, school Pro-D days, daycare is closed due to lice days, my partner who makes enough money so I can afford to work in a bike shop has a presentation in three days and has locked themself in their office days] – when there’s not that hard a choice to be made about staying home with the said grom(s) or going to the shop. But does there have to be? 

Compensation is a near-constant conversation point in the local bike industry. What mechanics are getting paid what per hour? What shops have ‘benefits’ and what does that even mean in the context of other jobs. How is the staff bonused on sales and inventory? What does that work out to in terms of value? Staff see their costs going up much faster than their compensation. Owners see their margin dollars under pressure from suppliers and ever increasing costs for rent and staff.  

This brings me to a conversation about alternate forms of compensation. Some shops provide a bike to ride for the year, or paid time off in the quiet months in lieu of extra grinding in the busy season. I know of at least one shop that will help employees get set up with a place to live. Staff meals, closing for stats, switching from six or seven days a week to five so everyone gets a couple days off. There are lots of good talking points.

For me, in the last few places I’ve worked, the key has been flexibility. Claire’s sick, I’m not a work. Claire has early dismissal, and I have early dismissal. I didn’t miss a single one of her hockey games in the last few years, even if that meant popping out and back in on a day I was scheduled. And sometimes, Claire comes to work with me.

Yesterday she came in for a few hours and then we pedaled home. During that time she made some original art for my co-workers. Took the piss as well as any shop veteran (I missed out on getting the photo of our new sign at the entry which says “Mean Guy Mandrew works here, don’t believe him if he says his name is Jeff). She even installed some wheels and a chain. 

Then just a bit after my Thursday quitting time, we pedaled our butts off up 4th Street East and Queensbury to hit S’wich Cafe before they closed and sat outside in the sunshine enjoying the best sandwiches in North Vancouver. And I couldn’t help but think that when it comes to compensation that level of flexibility would be key in any shop I’d consider working in. It’s not everything, but it’s worth a heck of a lot to me, and I can’t be alone in that regard.