Bixby Knolls Business: a Community Effort
The Workshop is a bike shop in the Bixby Knolls.
Photo from Gazette.com
In a down economy, it is rare to hear of businesses that are opening up and doing well, especially in California where the recession has seemed to hit especially hard.
This rarity exists in North Long Beach, in a community that has a small town feel in the middle of a big city, called Bixby Knolls.
Six months ago, a bike shop called The Workshop opened the doors of its store on Atlantic Avenue to the Bixby Knolls community, and has enjoyed the success that any small business could hope for.
Though a lot of good old fashioned elbow grease went into making their business successful, the “bike guy” of the shop Graham Baden stresses that The Workshop wouldn’t have grown as quickly as it did without the support of the community.
“People would bring their bikes out of their garage just to bring it here for service,” explained Baden, “and then they became a bike rider.”
The addition of The Workshop, where they also sell skateboards and scooters, and another bicycle store that opened a month later, has helped Bixby Knolls improve on its effort to make the community bicycle friendly. Many businesses in the area also started offering discounts or freebies to customers that ride their bikes on Bike Saturdays.
Pedestrian foot traffic has also increased for businesses in the area since the start of the First Friday event that is held monthly. Many businesses stay open later as families and others from the community come out to enjoy art, live music, car shows and other activities on Atlantic Avenue. A red double-decker bus also shuttles people up and down the street.
Some businesses have seen the change that Bixby Knolls has gone through. Melinda McCoy’s Flowers has been there since 1976.
“It's a very nice community. It has has a nice landscape. Nice and clean,” said Melinda McCoy. “We all help each other out.”
McCoy also mentions how it doesn’t hurt that Bixby Knolls is a wealthier community compared to other parts of North Long Beach.
“I’m surrounded by a higher income bracket,” said McCoy.
The median income in Bixby Knolls is $66,000 compared to in $35,000 in other parts of North Long Beach according to a 2010 census.
Rose Stevens, the office manager for 8th district Councilwoman Rae Gabelich, mentions how strong the voice of the community is when it comes to what sort of businesses open up in the area. There is a lack of bars in the area, though there are some in restaurants, and there is a pressure to keep the area from filling up with bars like 2nd Street in East Long Beach.
“I don’t think that the councilwoman…really wants it to be with a bunch of bars and stuff either,” explained Steven. “I think that’s what makes [Bixby Knolls] so unique. Because it’s definitely very family oriented, it’s more with families and young families in the area and I think that’s a big part of it too.”
Gabelich and the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association have worked closely with businesses and community leaders and have had success in improving the area and businesses.
The next step may be to advertise the community to other areas of Long Beach. “I never really spent a whole lot of time here, shopping here, eating here,” said Baden who grew up in downtown Long Beach, “but now I'm kind of being introduced to this neighborhood. I've really grown fond of it.”
This rarity exists in North Long Beach, in a community that has a small town feel in the middle of a big city, called Bixby Knolls.
Six months ago, a bike shop called The Workshop opened the doors of its store on Atlantic Avenue to the Bixby Knolls community, and has enjoyed the success that any small business could hope for.
Though a lot of good old fashioned elbow grease went into making their business successful, the “bike guy” of the shop Graham Baden stresses that The Workshop wouldn’t have grown as quickly as it did without the support of the community.
“People would bring their bikes out of their garage just to bring it here for service,” explained Baden, “and then they became a bike rider.”
The addition of The Workshop, where they also sell skateboards and scooters, and another bicycle store that opened a month later, has helped Bixby Knolls improve on its effort to make the community bicycle friendly. Many businesses in the area also started offering discounts or freebies to customers that ride their bikes on Bike Saturdays.
Pedestrian foot traffic has also increased for businesses in the area since the start of the First Friday event that is held monthly. Many businesses stay open later as families and others from the community come out to enjoy art, live music, car shows and other activities on Atlantic Avenue. A red double-decker bus also shuttles people up and down the street.
Some businesses have seen the change that Bixby Knolls has gone through. Melinda McCoy’s Flowers has been there since 1976.
“It's a very nice community. It has has a nice landscape. Nice and clean,” said Melinda McCoy. “We all help each other out.”
McCoy also mentions how it doesn’t hurt that Bixby Knolls is a wealthier community compared to other parts of North Long Beach.
“I’m surrounded by a higher income bracket,” said McCoy.
The median income in Bixby Knolls is $66,000 compared to in $35,000 in other parts of North Long Beach according to a 2010 census.
Rose Stevens, the office manager for 8th district Councilwoman Rae Gabelich, mentions how strong the voice of the community is when it comes to what sort of businesses open up in the area. There is a lack of bars in the area, though there are some in restaurants, and there is a pressure to keep the area from filling up with bars like 2nd Street in East Long Beach.
“I don’t think that the councilwoman…really wants it to be with a bunch of bars and stuff either,” explained Steven. “I think that’s what makes [Bixby Knolls] so unique. Because it’s definitely very family oriented, it’s more with families and young families in the area and I think that’s a big part of it too.”
Gabelich and the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association have worked closely with businesses and community leaders and have had success in improving the area and businesses.
The next step may be to advertise the community to other areas of Long Beach. “I never really spent a whole lot of time here, shopping here, eating here,” said Baden who grew up in downtown Long Beach, “but now I'm kind of being introduced to this neighborhood. I've really grown fond of it.”