Sorry guys, in an unlikely way I have forgotten the name of the shop.
Kitsilano was my neighborhood for many years. All sorts of fascinating people went for beers at the pub that was nearly directly across 4th Avenue from the bike shop — 'Jerry's Cove', named after a pioneer hand logger in the area. Tradesmen, actors, artists, academics, soldiers, labourers of all types — it was a sort of neihgourhood living room until it evolved into a yuppie wine bar to pay for the owner's addiction to Jaguars.
On the same opposing blocks as the bike shop on 4th, there was a gun smith, an antique-come-junk shop, a drug store and a small bank. A good friend of mine, Jackie Haliburton, had a painted-fashion shop next door to Jerry's — now across from the "flat-iron" Europa hotel in Gastown. There were also a couple of decent little European restaurants, and one of first little European style cafe's further east up the road. Those two blocks or so was a vibrant little community of ordinary life. But it changed radically as it became sheik, gentrified and prohibitively expensive for all but the most well-heeled. Long-time denizens migrated into the East End, or into the remaining affordable rents in the Commercial street area. Others just left the city. One report recently claimed that Vancouver was now the world's number one most expensive city.
Curiously, the last time I was in Vancouver, I saw boom bikes all over the place — the Gitanes, Peugeots, Lorne Atkinsons and many others. And better steel was around as well, never mind the fixed gear craze. A friend explained that young people had been digging them out of their parents' and grandparents' basements and were riding them instead of buying cars. So I began stopping young folks on the street as well as my alma mater, UBC of UBC. During pleasant chats youngsters often confirmed that this was just the case. And they seemed pleased that I had taken notice. (I did not come across any Le Croco.)
Someday I may stumble onto photos or negatives of the 4th and Alma area, and I'll put them up here. Undoubtedly they will show a bunch of bikes wired up to posts and poles around Jerry's Cove. Who knows, my stolen Raleigh Lenton Sports might even be among them.
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Vitus 979, Simplon 4 Star, Gazelle Champion Mondial, Woodrup Giro, Dawes Atlantis
Last edited by Lenton58; 10-13-13 at 10:14 PM.