Nakusp’s gain of a new bike shop might cause a little suffering for Kaslo, but the drive’s not far for die-hard downhillers and their road riding cousins. Janis Neufeld and partner Shon are packing up Kootenay Mountain Sports and moving to Nakusp.
It’s official: the deal on the business’ new building just went through on March 15, and what was once Black Bear Bike Repair (and before that Evolution Boutique) will soon house the successful Kaslo bike store.
“We just confirmed everything,” Neufeld said on the phone from Kaslo. “We got some help from Community Futures, they’re what made it possible.”
The store and family will be moving in short order, moving everything on April 30 and closing as close to May 1 as possible, said Neufeld.
“We will have bikes,” said the store owner and coach, who says the plan is to have the shop fully open and ready by the second week of May.
The reason for the move has its roots in friendship, with Janis’ Nakusp running pals encouraging her to move to town. After looking at their books and seeing the financial reasons for the move, as well as seeing what was afoot in Nakusp, they decided to make the move.
“Marie [Wrede] was the main driving force to come out there,” Neufeld said. “We really would complement each other.” Kootenay Mountain Sports is all about bike equipment, repair, sales, and rentals, she said. “We’ll grow. We’ll find out once we get there.”
Another major reason for the move is the amount of energy and projects like the renovations at Summit Lake Ski Area and the achievements of the Nakusp and Area Community Trails Society.
“We like the momentum building in Nakusp,” Janis told the Arrow Lakes News, who believes the move will be a good one for the business and her family, and Nakusp too.
Janis and Shon Neufeld bring a bevy of skills with them. Janis will continue to lead running clinics and core training courses, and would love to get some athletics going for kids including triathlon and running clubs (the Neufeld family includes four kids who will be going to school in Nakusp, another great thing for the town).
Her husband Shon brings extensive biking knowledge, a boon for anyone on person-powered wheels.
“You name it, he can do it.” said Janis. “He can fix everything from high end bikes to your clunker that’s been in your garage for 20 years.”
And although nothing is written in stone, Neufeld hopes to expand Suffer Fest to include Nakusp too.
“Suffer Fest is its own entity,” Neufeld clarified, with Kootenay Mountain Sports being a sponsor of the event, but when her family moves to Nakusp, there will be three board members living in the same town. What she would like to see, and what could happen if the board agrees, is a three-day event with a day each in Kaslo, New Denver and Nakusp.
But success in Nakusp can only happen with the support of the community, said Neufeld who invites everyone to come by the shop and say hi.
“The only way we’re going to make it is local support,” she said. “We want to make it work, so we’ll be listening to hear what the community wants. The more support we receive, the more we can do.”
