Columbus, Ohio USA
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Paradise Garage
10 years and still pedaling strong

by Joel Knepp
March/April 2018 Issue

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Photos © Joel Knepp

Paradise Garage owners Emily and Dan Monnig
with their three-year-old daughter Greta.

A decade ago Dan and Emily Monnig’s passion for bicycling and love of the Short North manifested as the Paradise Garage, our neighborhood’s oldest and largest source of bikes, parts, gear, apparel, mechanical services, and bike-oriented special events. I stopped in at the store one recent afternoon and was able to speak at some length with the couple, first eliciting smiles by showing them my brother Greg’s “Pedal Pusher” column from the May 2008 Short North Gazette which highlighted the Paradise Garage’s opening.

The Beginning
Seeds of this successful marriage and business partnership were planted far away in scenic Flagstaff, Arizona, the gateway to the Grand Canyon. The Monnigs met in that small western town which supports a strong bicycle culture. After graduating in accounting from Flagstaff’s Northern Arizona University, Dan and a partner opened a bike shop which operated for four years. Dan met Emily, a fellow bike enthusiast with a master’s degree in community counseling who was working as director of an agency providing housing and social services for the homeless.

When Dan and his bike-shop partner went their separate ways, he and Emily investigated Boulder and Denver as possibilities for a new store location but were discouraged by high rents. Dan hails from Indianapolis and Emily from Medina in northeast Ohio. With the desire to be closer to their families in those cities, they turned their attention eastward and agreed to relocate to Columbus, putting themselves within easy reach of both hometowns. A destination/adventure wedding in Death Valley followed. Dan honed in on the Short North and loved everything about it, identifying our stretch of High Street as a promising location for a start-up business. In early 2008 the couple took the plunge and rented a 1,600 square-foot storefront at 941 North High Street from Mark Wood of the Wood Companies. Paradise Garage was born.

At first it was mostly Dan running the bike store but gradually Emily became a larger presence. Emily told me: “I was supportive of the decision [to start the business] and I didn’t initially intend to be involved, but doing it all as one person turned out to not be the best option… I ended up being involved full time.” Dan said in a later phone conversation: “She has a huge influence on the store, more than I have.”

Initially, Paradise Garage concentrated on bicycle sales, with service mostly limited to bikes sold in the shop. In those early days, they carried European city bikes such as the Dutch-made Batavus and German-designed Biria. The Monnigs believed that European city bikes and accessories were a good fit for the neighborhood in helping promote bicycle commuting and healthy lifestyles. Ultimately, European city bikes weren’t exactly the flavor of bikes Columbus was looking for, and as transportation biking became increasingly popular, riders needed more-economical equipment. The business shifted into different lines more suited to their customers’ needs and budgets. Paradise Garage now offers rides by manufacturers which include Specialized, Cannondale, Salsa (but no chips), and Surly. They also carry the elegant Linus brand which draws inspiration from French mid-century bicycles. Electric bikes from Specialized are coming in the near future. Rentals are also available. The store is well equipped to meet the needs of commuters, city riders, mountain bikers, racers, and everyone in between, including children. 

Expansion

Depending on the season, Paradise Garage maintains a staff of 9 to 14 cheerful bike enthusiasts.

When the opportunity arose in 2010 to move into a space about three times larger with lots of big windows and parking, the store relocated a few spots south to its current location at 921 North High. The property is now also owned by the Wood Companies and was formerly occupied by several furniture outlets, a rent-to-own business, and an auto-parts store. In this spacious and well-lit building, the Monnigs are able to display a large inventory of bikes as well as helmets, gear, and apparel. The shop is undergoing interior remodeling, with the recent removal of a raised wooden platform providing better flow and a more spacious feel to the display area. An increasing share of the business, about one-third in financial terms, is dedicated to mechanical service for any and all bikes. The workroom behind the sales area contains four service racks which are going year-round but especially busy during warm-weather months. Appointments for tune-ups, repairs, installs, and adjustments can be made via Facebook. Paradise Garage has developed a loyal customer base which has come to depend on the store to keep their rides running smoothly. “Service really matters to people,” reports Emily. “People like to have someone to talk with to help them make their decisions. It’s hard to navigate the world of bikes.”

Depending on the season, the Garage now maintains a staff of from 9 to 14 cheerful bike enthusiasts, both men and women, who work in various aspects of the business which is open seven days a week. The in-store mechanics have mostly developed their skills at other bike shops but undergo regular continuing education to keep up with the rapidly changing nature of bike technology. The Monnigs are pleased to be able to provide health insurance and paid leave to staff who work 30 or more hours per week.

Community Involvement
Community involvement is an important part of the business. Along with Yellow Brick Pizza of Olde Towne East and Lineage Brewing of Clintonville, Paradise Garage sponsors a team called the PG Racers which participates in events such as the Tour de Grandview and the Tour of Franklinton, both criterium races, known as crits, held in June and consisting of several laps around a closed circuit. These popular neighborhood street races are easily accessible to the community. Additionally, the shop sponsors the Lady Gnar Shredders, a team which aims to get more women into competitive cycling. Dan informed me that the team name comes from the action-sports term “shredding the gnar (from gnarly).”
 
Shredding the Gnar- to boldly attempt/execute something daunting, difficult, and/or dangerous

The shop also organizes 15-20 volunteers for tech support of Pelatonia, a two-day bike tour and event held each August to raise funds for cancer research. In further community involvement, for the past three years Emily has chaired the board of Yay Bikes, an organization which promotes bicycle transportation through education and advocacy.

Why the Name?

The workroom contains four service racks for tune-ups, repairs, installs, and adjustments.

I was curious as to why the Monnigs chose to name their bike shop after a famous dance club in New York City which came and went long before this youngish couple’s adulthood. It turns out that Dan has an alter ego as a DJ and named the store in honor of this gone-but-not-forgotten DJ venue. Folks who have actually partied down at the trendy NYC hot spot in the golden days of disco have stopped in to the bike store and identified themselves, giving Dan a bit of a thrill. In spite of fatherhood and business responsibilities, he still does his DJ thing here and there (call him) and is featured most winter Thursday evenings right in the showroom for Facebook-promoted trainer nights. Riders place their bikes on rolling racks and peddle away to DJ Dan’s energetic sounds, which vary from funk to heavy metal and beyond. With these lively events, bad weather should be no excuse for abandoning your bike in the less-balmy months.

High Street Construction
As everyone who has driven, worked, shopped, or just walked on High Street in the last year or so knows, the ongoing construction/destruction of buildings, streets, and sidewalks in and around the Short North has created, shall we say, challenges. I wanted to know how all this has affected the Paradise Garage. Emily explained one aspect of the problem I hadn’t thought about:  parking spaces in the lots and on nearby streets are being taken up during the day by construction workers. The Garage shares a parking lot with adjacent businesses. Construction workers should not park there but often do. The ever-changing street and sidewalk patterns associated with the updating of High Street infrastructure coupled with the effects of numerous large building projects create visual confusion for locals and visitors alike. Never has the color orange been so prominent in our ‘hood.

Emily told me: “We get feedback from customers who have the perception that they just can’t get around in the Short North.” The disruption has had some impact on the Garage’s business, and the Monnigs are strategizing to better manage the challenge. One approach is the planned installation of a door in the south side of the building facing the parking lot to make bicycle drop-offs and pick-ups easier. Also coming soon is pick-up and delivery service for bikes needing mechanical work. 

The Future
With massive changes underway to the streetscape and real estate of the Short North, the future seems especially tenuous for one-story buildings such as the one occupied by Paradise Garage. We’ve already seen the (temporary) demise of the venerable White Castle at 2nd Avenue, the classical-music-blasting United Dairy Farmers at 1st Avenue, the former Grandview Mercantile, and others. Set for the chopping block are the former nearly back-to-back Kroger and Big Bear (from waaay back when) on the west side of High between 3rd and 4th, most recently occupied by the now-departed Family Dollar and the soon-to-move Yoga on High. Tall buildings are rapidly replacing parking lots and low-rise structures, blocking the sun from OSU campus all the way to downtown. However, the Garage has received reassurance that no such change is planned for 921 North High in the foreseeable future. Whether or not that holds true only time will tell, but the Monnigs, now a family of three with their young daughter Greta who plays in the shop’s back room, are committed to maintaining the business, even if it means finding another location. Let’s hope they are able to stay in the Short North for at least another ten years to keep up the good work of providing our neighborhood and Columbus with exercise, fun, and zero-emissions transportation!

Paradise Garage, at 921 N. High St., is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m. Visit www.paradisegarage.com and Facebook for more information on merchandise, services, and events.

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