The Boys & Girls Club Bike Exchange, founded by Princeton Borough resident Russ White, in just a few months has become wildly successful. They have sold 418 bikes to date and the exchange is now the largest used bike seller in the area. This raised $28,000 total, $24,000 for the Boys & Girls Club.
White, officially retired, combined his entrepreneurial skills and business management experience to create the venture. Several factors led to his decision: a lack of places in the area to buy and sell used bikes; a physical storefront to serve the public better than Craigslist; the success of the TREK bike company with the same idea in Madison, WI.
The TREK store paid employees and subsidized the rent. But White wanted a totally volunteer/charitable organization. He approached David Anderson, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton & Mercer County, and they agreed for the exchange to be a part of the Boys & Girls Club.
As reported by CentralJersey.com, "Mr. White then approached the Princeton Freewheelers and soon had more than two dozen volunteers to do everything from collect, repair and sell bikes to manage the operation. Another six or seven non-Princeton Freewheelers volunteers have signed on, too, after seeing what the bike exchange does.
"'I started pounding the pavement on Route 1 to find donated space. I got rejected and rejected and rejected until I came upon Levin Management,' Mr. White said.
"Levin Management Corp. agreed to donate a large space at Capitol Plaza Shopping Center in Ewing, so we opened up on May 1st.'"
The enterprise has been wildly successful. Owners can donate bikes they no longer want at nearly every area bike store, plus a few other locations. Several police departments - including Trenton's, Ewing's and Lawrence's - let the exchange collect abandoned and unclaimed bicycles, and Princeton University allowed it to collect abandoned bikes around its campus. Sept. 25, as part of its bike safety day, Princeton University is going to hold a bike drive for the exchange. White has contacted West Windsor Bicycle & Pedestrian Alliance about working with the exchange.
As of now, the bike exchange has an inventory of about 200 bikes for sale at the Capital Plaza store, all for $65 or less. The Boys & Girls Club Bike Exchange is now self-sustaining and runs itself, making money for the Boys and Girls Club.
Details:
The Boys & Girls Club Bike Exchange is located at Capitol Plaza Shopping Center, 1500 North Olden Avenue, Ewing, NJ 08638. The exchange is open Thursdays 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (609) 571-9476, email info@BikeExchangeNJ.org or go to the exchange Web site at www.bikeexchangenj.org.
What a nice feel-good story this is - many thanks to Russ White for his efforts on behalf of the biking community and the Boys and Girls Club. This is a great example of the sense of pride and community we feel here in Mercer County, New Jersey. Contact me for a Relocation Package or real estate information on our many towns and boroughs.
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