BIKE: Dude! Where's My Bike Rack?

[Michael Bluejay]

This whole issue put me in a real quandary.  While I support bike  
racks, I also support Wheatsville, and anything that sends Central  
Market customers to Wheatsville is a good thing to me.  CM nearly put  
WV out of business when they built their store.  WV has been furiously  
upgrading its facilities in an effort to compete, but as a tiny store  
it's really hard for them to reap any economies of scale in any area --  
product cost, staff costs, facilities costs, etc.  If WV went under  
we'd still be able to get natural and organic foods in this town, but  
what we'd lose would be a rich community focal point.  I doubt that  
Central Market or Whole Foods is what most people think of when they  
think about Keeping Austin Weird.  I go to CM and Whole Foods on rare  
occasion, but it's just a shopping experience.  I get *happy* when I go  
to Wheatsville.  And I invariably run into lots of people I know.  And  
they're not driving SUV's.  And another thing, Wheatsville has done  
more to support biking than any local grocery, and probably any  
national grocery.  And I'm not talking just the Bike to Work Day  
breakfast stations or the fact that their bike-to-car parking ratio is  
higher than anywhere else you'll find (although those things are indeed  
good), I'm talking things like their blockbuster annual biking issue of  
the Wheatsville Breeze, their housing a Yellow Bike repair shop in the  
back, and their donating some of their profits to community groups like  
Yellow Bike.  I like all that.  A lot.  And this is what we'd be giving  
up if we allow WV to fail by shopping some of the trendier  
alternatives.

Whole Foods is no better.  I was surprised to see Bob Farr write, "I  
suppose the Central Market masquerade as a Whole Foods Market clone is  
finally over. Now they've revealed their true corporate identity to be  
just an HEB with a higher margin."  As though WFM is *not* corporate?!   
Everyone is aware that WFM is publicly-traded, right?  And that as soon  
as they got to Wall Street wages and working conditions plummeted?  See  
more at http://michaelbluejay.com/main/wholefoods.html

Anyway, I guess the current issue is over since the bike racks are back  
at CM, but I hope people will shop at WV more anyway.

By the way, I remember on at least one occasion that Critical Mass  
biked through Central Market (and at least a couple of times through  
Whole Foods).  Before this issue was resolved, I was figuring that that  
was gonna be the way that Central Market was gonna be made to take  
notice...

-MBJ-


On Nov 19, 2004, at 3:37 PM, Joe Mitchell/Diversified Media  
Applications wrote:

> Please let Central Market (4001 N. Lamar) know how peeved you are  
> about the
> 80% reduction in bike rack space by
>
> 1) Emailing Asst. Dist. Mgr Rhonda Brown at brown.rhonda
>
> and/or
>
> 2) Filling out a comments cards addressing the issue at an CM.
>
> Apparently all comment cards are read by the Dist. Mgr. and logged  
> into a
> database.
>
> For more detailed info on the debacle and my rant on the issue, I've  
> got it
> posted at http://www.joemitchell.biz/bikerack/index.htm
>
> Letting management know how slighted you feel by this insane reduction  
> in
> bike parking is the best way to get the racks back..
>
> At the same time, I wouldn't mind taking my biz down to Whole Floods or
> Wheatsville, and taking my bike into the store at CM.. these are good
> ideas.. getting a bad rep among bicyclists is not good biz in Austin..
>
> Anyone interested in a meet up at CM on Sat or Sunday to roll our bikes
> in?????
>
> thanx y'all...
>
> jm
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Fred Meredith <bikin-fred>
> To: Bob Farr <bobfarr>
> Cc: <forum>
> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 3:08 PM
> Subject: Re: BIKE: Re: Dude! Where's My Bike Rack?
>
>
>> Okay, Bob. Now you're talkin'
>>
>> Do you want to turn this into one of your full-fledged rants for the
>> December issue or should I just format this post as a letter to the
>> editor?
>>
>> Let me know and when and where to I come to get you?
>>
>> Fred
>>
>> At 12:03 PM -0600 11/19/04, Bob Farr wrote:
>>> Well, since they've removed the bike racks from the deck (below the
>>> gong) like you say, then they've declared war. War I say!
>>>
>>> I might have been less concerned if they'd only removed some of
>>> those wheelbender racks from those unused "around the corner"
>>> locations where such racks tend to be located and ignored. But the
>>> fact that they've ripped out the bike racks from the central traffic
>>> hub that saw the most use shows a complete disregard for the sort of
>>> "organic" customers Central Market was created to "serve."
>>>
>>> It's an outrage. The bicycle traffic at that Central Market location
>>> is certainly high enough to warrant a first class bike rack location
>>> where it's convienent and one can keep an eye on their bike while
>>> eating lunch or whatever.
>>>
>>> I suppose the Central Market masquerade as a Whole Foods Market
>>> clone is finally over. Now they've revealed their true corporate
>>> identity to be just an HEB with a higher margin. Until they come to
>>> their senses, I'll take all my premium grocery trips to Whole Foods.
>>> --
>>> Bob Farr
>>>
>>> This is going down in my diary as the crappiest November of my
>>> lifetime. Must the other boot drop again and again and again? This
>>> is madness.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Mitchell/Diversified Media
>>> Applications" <joe.mitchell>
>>> To: "Bob Farr" <bobfarr>
>>> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 9:30 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Dude! Where's My Bike Rack?
>>>
>>>> Hello Bob:
>>>>
>>>> They removed the main huge bike rack..the one that help around 20
> bikes.. by
>>>> the big gong that the kids love.. The main one, right out front. As  
>>>> you
> lock
>>>> your bike-up, you look at the gong and the north door and window of
> Feats of
>>>> Clay. It's been gone a few days, now.. Think it was last week when  
>>>> it
> got
>>>> yanked..not exactly certain of date.. If you look on the deck below  
>>>> the
>>>> gong, you can see the bolt marks where it used to be..
>>>>
>>>> You're right, the removed rack had been there since day one when CM
> opened
>>>> its doors.
>>>>
>>>> I've been getting good response from other people who miss it, too..
>>>>
>>>> Hope you can help get it back by sending an email and/or filling  
>>>> out a
>>>> comments card. If you're there, try to talk to Raul or Sondra or any
> other
>>>> mgr.. They are aware of the situation and would love to tell the  
>>>> Dist.
> Mgr
>>>> to put the bike rack back. We just need more bicyclists to keep  
>>>> polite
>>>> pressure on them.
>>>>
>>>> Most of the people who work the express line are bike-only people,  
>>>> too.
> Talk
>>>> to them about it. Make a buzz
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for your help..
>>>>
>>>> Joe Mitchell
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: Bob Farr <bobfarr>
>>>> To: Joe Mitchell/Diversified Media Applications
>>>> <joe.mitchell>;
>>>> <forum-bicycleaustin.info>
>>>> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 8:17 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: Dude! Where's My Bike Rack?
>>>>
>>>>> I was just there on Monday and didn't notice any missing racks on  
>>>>> the
> deck
>>>>> section (the only location were I was aware of any bike parking),  
>>>>> nor
> did
>>>> I
>>>>> notice any preparations to remove them. Where were the bike racks
> located
>>>> before
>>>>> they were ripped out?
>>>>>
>>>>> It would certainly be an outrage if they removed the racks from the
> deck
>>>> because
>>>>> those racks are consistently in use.
>>>>> --
>>>>> Bob
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Joe Mitchell/Diversified Media Applications"
>>>> <joe.mitchell>
>>>>> To: <forum-bicycleaustin.info>
>>>>> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 1:07 AM
>>>>> Subject: BIKE: Dude! Where's My Bike Rack?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi Folx:
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm pissed about central market on N. Lamar yanking 80% of their  
>>>>> bike
>>>> parking
>>>>> without warning. I confirmed w/Mgmt today that the racks have been
>>>> permanently
>>>>> removed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Would they do this to 80% of their car parking???
>>>>>
>>>>> I've posted info on how to contact the Central Market District Mgr  
>>>>> at
> my
>>>> website
>>>>> www.joemitchell.biz
>>>>>
>>>>> Please take the time to email the district mgr's office, and even  
>>>>> fill
> out
>>>> a
>>>>> comment card in a CM store if you can.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've also posted the letter I personally delivered to Mgmt today.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for your attention.
>>>>>
>>>>> Joe Mitchell
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>>>> -----
> -
>>>> ------
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  _______________________________________________
>>>>>>  Get on or off this list here:  http://BicycleAustin.info/list
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Get on or off this list here:  http://BicycleAustin.info/list
>>
>>
>> --
>> When in doubt ... ride your bike (or at least write about it).
>>
>> Fred Meredith
>> P.O. Box 100 (12702 Lowden Ln for UPS/FedEx)
>> Manchaca, TX 78652
>> 512/282-1987 (office/home)
>> 512/282-7413 (fax)
>> 512/636-7480 (wireless)
>> More than you want to know at: http://2merediths.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Get on or off this list here:  http://BicycleAustin.info/list
>
>
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