Andrea Whiting
Special to The Record
From the looks of the building, you would never guess what lies behind its doors. A Comox Valley Monarch Lions Club member, Lion Alex Gray (photo below, right), mentioned at a general meeting that he runs a used bike shop behind the Courtenay Curling Club parking lot.
All proceeds from bike sales are donated to the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society.
The shop has raised in excess of $10,000 so far this year.
| Lion Alex Gray has been running a used bike shop on the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds since 2003. |
The bike shop is really an old shack just beyond the Curling Club鈥檚 parking lot that is crammed with bikes of all sizes. People drop off used bikes, and Alex and his helper clean them up, repair them and then re-sell them.
The shop has also received bikes from the RCMP in the past, those that were stolen and never claimed.
Alex has been working in the bike shop for nearly 15 years. He sells children鈥檚 bikes for $20. Adult bikes can go from $45-$90 depending on the bike. The hours of the shop are Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
鈥淭he greatest reward for me doing this, is watching the kids鈥� faces when they get their new bikes,鈥� said Alex.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 beat that.鈥�
The bike shop will be moving to a new building in the near future on the other side of the parking lot, closer to the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Stables.
Reflective signs at Home Show
The Comox Valley Monarch Lions Club is a non-profit society that serves the community. Its biggest project is the 911 residential reflective signs; these signs highlight residential homes to emergency vehicles. The next event is at the Fall Home Show Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The club accepts orders online at www.911reflectivesign.ca.
