History
Blackstone Bicycle Works opened on Chicago’s South Side in 1994 as a project of the Resource Center, the city’s oldest and largest non-profit recycler. The shop grew out of a need to utilize the abundance of bikes encountered in the waste stream and a desire to explore avenues of alternative education in the local community.
Growing rapidly in the second half of the decade, Blackstone opened its doors to as many as 40 youth program participants each year. Outside of Woodlawn, the program participated in regional racing events, organized floats in the Bud Billiken Parade, and helped with the University’s Earth Day festivities. With low overhead in the old 6100 S. Blackstone building, the shop prospered on a shoestring budget ($43,000 in 1997, roughly half the operating expense of today).
On April 25, 2001, a fire broke out at 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. injuring none but causing irreparable damage to the shop space itself. The building was subsequently gutted, leaving just the masonry outside wall, and the structure was rebuilt from the inside out. Upon completion, this would become the Experimental Station.
In the meantime, Blackstone operated out of trailer provided by the Resource Center and on property generously loaned by the University of Chicago. The operation continued to fix bikes and provide educational opportunities for local kids, until its new home was finally completed almost five years later.
In 2006, Blackstone moved back to 6100 S. Blackstone and into a new building with more space for storage and activity. The youth program and shop was adopted by the board of the Experimental Station, remaining in partnership with the Resource Center. By the summer of the following year, Blackstone had almost returned to its former number of youth participants.
The Woodlawn Engine
Blackstone Bicycle Works relaunched in 2006 largely due to the generous contributions of a handful of charitable foundations. That money helped to build out our operations and hire teaching staff, as well as establish the storefront used today. Suffice it to say, we never would have gotten this far without their help.
Nevertheless, we feel the best way to instill entrepreneurial values in kids is to show them the real exhibit—a functional business in action. As part of a resurging neighborhood, we also believe it is incumbent on Blackstone to contribute to the energy of the emerging Woodlawn economic engine. For this reason, our ultimate goal is to one day make our operation entirely independent of outside funding while keeping the youth program free for local families. That day is coming more quickly than we initially imagined. Last year, the project nearly tripled its projected retail revenue, allowing us to meet budget despite numerous unforeseen expenses.
Now the bar is raised and Blackstone is committed to finishing the job. By the close of 2008, we envision an even more comprehensive youth program built and sustained by service and the sale of recycled bikes. Only your patronage can help us realize our goal of a self-sustained operation that will serve Woodlawn families for decades to come.