LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear designated bicycle repair shops essential businesses in his executive order signed on March 25, allowing them to stay open while many other businesses close their doors.
In Lexington, Bicycle Face remains open, but a piece of cardboard is taped to the upper part of the door to prevent people from walking straight in.
“Customers come to the door and see the barricade and aren’t really certain if we’re open or closed,” Bicycle Face manager Darrell Hall said.
The shop continues to sell bikes online, but the primary business at the moment comes from repairs, according to store owner Nate Cornelius.
“I think we're seeing a little uptick in some people weren't using them. They've been in the garage for 10 years. So they're getting them tuned up and going and enjoying the outside, which is great,” Cornelius said.
However, it wasn’t a bike’s recreational use that landed it on the state’s list of essential businesses.
“I know it’s a lot of people’s primary means of transportation,” Cornelius noted. “So I’m really fortunate that we were able to stay open at least in a service capacity.”
“It’s been interesting,” said Hall. “There’s twice as many bikes in the shop but no people.”
Cornelius said they’re grateful to be able to serve the community and are taking every precaution to ensure they can continue doing so.
"When people bring their bikes into us, we're pretty diligent with wiping them down with disinfectants and we’re using a lot of hand sanitizers,” he said.
Details on how to contact Bicycle Face if you need a new bike or a repair done can be found here.
