Arkansas / Missouri
Little Rock
A town full of pleasant surprises. This was my first time in the true South, and I gotta say I was really taken aback by how friendly everyone is. I arrived late at night on the train, and my first day here I took a much-needed day off. This trip has been absolutely exhausting, from constantly pushing sales and meeting with bike shops, to the massive amount of social energy I’m putting into all these bike parties. It’s been a continuous, non-stop journey. My hotel was across the street from the zoo, so I took a walk over, followed it up with a solid lunch, and just hung out in the hotel alone the rest of the day. It was great and exactly what I needed.
The next day, I was back on the grind. I took off and met with a few bike shops. Little Rock doesn’t have a whole lot of them. The owner of the first shop, Community Bicyclist Inc., told me that they sell almost no bike bags because most people opt to buy these online. As a retailer, I have mixed feelings on this. Like, yeah, when someone buys directly from me I make more of a profit, but I am doing this trip because I want to both spread brand awareness and build a relationship with all of the shops I’m visiting. Bike shops are the heart of the cycling community, they’re an essential part of what makes all of this possible, and whenever possible I always encourage people to support their local shop.
The other shop I visited, Rock Town River Outfitters, was run by a person who hosts a social ride that takes place every Monday. This was awesome because my train didn’t come until 11:40 PM. So I made sure to check that out, and you can read all about it HERE. This ride was great because it introduced me to a whole lot of people from Little Rock, and they were all so excited that I chose to stop into their town, rather than Bentonville, on my tour. Much like supporting our bike shops, it's important to acknowledge and support our communities everywhere we go. While a lot of people consider this part of the country to just be something we fly over, I can't explain how glad I am that I chose to stop in and meet the Little Rock community.
St. Louis
Absolutely lawless. So far, STL has been, hands down, the most dangerous place I have ever ridden bikes. I try to not engage too much in politics as I travel, but from what I can tell this city is in absolute chaos. The bicycle infrastructure was almost nonexistent for commuters, and when it was there, it was completely disregarded. Much like in Portland, where the local police have neglected traffic safety, St. Louis also chooses to not enforce traffic laws. I've seen more people run red lights than I saw bikes on the road, and nearly everyone is driving while on their phone. The bike lanes that exist have cars either parked or driving in them, and when they are clear they are full of glass. Public safety begins with safe streets, while I do not believe the police should be responsible for enforcing our traffic laws, I do believe in the development of public safety groups that must take on this responsibility, along with traffic calming and protective infrastructure.
While I could rant on these issues forever, I also met some great people here. I stayed again at another Warm Showers home, and my host was absolutely incredible. The house was built in 1888 and was made of solid brick, I've never been in a house like this before, and my host also had about 7 chickens, and the breakfast she made me was sooo good. She even offered a driving tour of the city so I could see a lot of other things that I would have otherwise missed during brief my time here.
While the mission of this stop was to find a bike shop to carry Pink Tag Bags, I am happy to report that I was successful. Pink Tag Bags are now available at South Side Cyclery. This woman/family-owned and operated shop is incredible. When I first showed up, I was a little hesitant as the shop itself appeared like most other QBP shops, but after speaking with one of the owner’s sons, I learned about just how much work the shop does to support women and racial equity in the STL bike community. I added an extra day to my stay here so that I could attend their Girls Night Out ride, write-up coming soon. This woman-centered ride, which is open to all riders who wish to come and support the women, was amazing. I spoke a bit with the shop owner after we all went for dinner after the ride, and my soul was warmed to hear of all her hard work and dedication. Saint Louis felt like a mess, but after this ride and my time with my Warm Showers host, I feel reassured that there is a lot of beauty in St. Louis. Just be careful if you choose to ride there, >_<
