The Somerville Bike Kitchen is searching for a new location in which to do its “cooking.”

By Ryan DiLello

The Somerville Bike Kitchen, a volunteer co-op that teaches community members how to repair their bikes, is looking for a new location after seven years in their location on Summer Street.

Founded in 2015, the co-op has served thousands of community members, averaging 200 people a month. In exchange for their resources and expertise, the co-op asks for a modest donation of $10/hour – and will work for free if necessary. More than a repair shack, the organization also hosts weekend community building events and repair classes.

Come August, their garage on Summer Street will no longer be available for use. On Thursday, Hannah Goldberg, a member of the Somerville Bike Kitchen, spoke at the City Council Meeting. Goldberg says the organization is looking for at least 200 square feet of space with bathrooms and additional outdoor space for community events – ideally, somewhere in Somerville.

“We don’t want to leave Somerville. With a lot of our community anchor points being lost in the pandemic, this is one space a lot of people feel comfortable coming back to,” said Goldberg, who noted that the Bike Kitchen is also a social hub and fulcrum for local cyclist organizations like Queers on Wheels and Femmemechanics.

Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen who sponsored Golberg at the meeting, commended the organization. “This is exactly the kind of community organization we want to see thriving in Somerville. Especially at a time in which the council and the administration are spending so much time and effort to increase bicycle safety in our city; it’s crucial that we have these kinds of organizations to empower people.”

The Bike Kitchen has started a petition to demonstrate SBK’s impact and value to the Somerville community, city officials and other potential partners, available on its website: https://somervillebikekitchen.org.