Allan Appel Photo
Feiner with — count ‘em — 5 transit chiefs, cut the ribbon on the new shop.
When Matthew Feiner first came to New Haven 20 years ago and was riding his bike all over town, people made fun of him.
No longer.
Friday morning the founder of the Devil’s Gear bike shop was hailed as a community-minded businessman, a lover of downtown, an innovator, and tireless bike advocate, without whose ideas and leadership New Haven would not be the increasingly bicycle-centric town it is today.
Feiner and Hausladen, who presented him with the city’s first “advocate award.”
“He partnered [with us, the city] to bring cycling and and the culture of cycling front and center” on the city’s agenda, said municipal transportation chief Doug Hausladen.
Hausladen, along with the four previous transportation czars of the city, were joined by Town Green Special Services District officials, Elm City Cycling representatives, friends and customers of Feiner’s shop to cut the ribbon on its new, third, location, a storefront at 137 Orange St. in the historic Palladium building.
The new location is 50 feet away from the shop’s previous location on the ground floor of the 360 State Street residential tower in Pitkin Plaza. He said he made the shift because, in part, the five-year lease had run its course, and cutting a very expensive rent is a good idea.
The new digs are 200 square feet smaller, but the rent is cut dramatically, in half. Feiner said that business, ongoing for about three weeks already, is “great.”
Guests gathered and shook Feiner’s right hand or hugged him gingerly. That’s because his left shoulder, along with more bones that you want to think about, were broken three weeks ago when Feiner, in a freak bike accident, sailed over his handlebars. He was wearing a helmet, of course, which was abraided and punched through in a spot by a rock, he reported
Three-year DG employee Greg Ledovsky upgraded Evelyn Davis from a quick release to a locking skewer, in the midst of the party.
While he was been recovering, Feiner, with his own hands, or hand, put on the finishing touches on the build-out of the new space.
Feiner said the the shop in its new space will focus more on the commuter bicyclist: “We lost [in the previous space] some focus chasing trends like snow bikes, a little all over the place. We’re going back to our roots, to be a a commuter bike shop; part of that idea has been to make the new digs similar to the shop at 433 Chapel St.,” the original location.
The new space is a high-ceilinged yellow-painted biking fantasia of hanging cycling vehicles, treats and accessories. Business was brisk Friday while repairs were being arranged and done (pictured) while the Feiner lovefest were getting underway.
It was a pure Devil’s Gear: Feiner playing down the hoopla, enjoying the community and the spirit, performing attentive bike services, having a good time.
Feiner still has permission to line up his inventory on Pitkin Plaza, along with, of course, his penny farthing antique bikes
“We’re going to work on the signage,” he said.
New Haven’s communal support of his store — an epicenter of the cycling movement that swept the city over the past decade — was clear at Friday’s event.
Speaker after speaker cited communal rides organized by the store, Feiner’s presence at the recent bike Grand Prix, the provision of bikes and helmets at discount to those who can’t afford them.
City Deputy Economic Administrator Mike Piscitelli credited Feiner as the owner of “an awesome and wonderful” business who has helped transform lower Orange Street will also influencing city policy on bike lanes, sharrows, corrals, racks, general bikability and walkability.
“You’ve led us to a different place. We have learned from your example,” Piscitelli said, after describing how he bought his bike at Devil’s Geer
Bike commuter Liam Brennan credited Feiner with the hard job of getting people, on bike and on foot, out onto the city streets and transforming it by their presence — a mode of change beyond making policies.
“Matt has helped make this [New Haven] the greatest small biking city in America,” said Elm City Cycling board member Caroline Smith.
“It can’t be understated what’s happening in cycling culture in New Haven. Without the vision of Matt Feiner and Devil’s Gear, it would not have happened,” Hausladen said.
And biking advocate Melinda Tuhus characterized Feiner as the indispensable man: “It’d be a very different city without Matt.”
The next bicycle frontier being explored in town is a bikeshare program being organized by Hausladen.
Feiner said it’d be a great a idea, good for business and good for the city, although he said one downside might be the high cost of maintenance — thanks to the beatings bikes take from riders who are not their owners.
Feiner plans to compete to organize the program when the city releases a request for proposals, expected next week.