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Age of a New Thoughtfulness

What''s so funny about peace, love, and understanding?

People explain the rise of cycling by citing gym closures, emptier roads and more available time. Though contributing factors, it is too narrow and simplistic a view to explain what is happening.

Every day, all available bicycles are rolled into our backyard. We have a couple of EZ-Ups, a 150 pound epi wood table for display lights, locks and helmets, four of my cars, some cactus, a hudson sprayer with a diluted bleach solution, 9 redwood raised beds and two basil plants that I have let go to flower.

Buying a bike (or helmet, raised plant bed) from Coco''s is now a one-on-one, private shopping experience. Masked and gloved, we keep backing away from each other when we really want to be closer. It is freeway loud, blindingly bright and often oppressively hot. Early in the pandemic, it was hard on the guys to navigate this complete change of customer service with the new element of public management. The heat, noise, and brightness contributed, but the most difficult aspect was not being in control of our physical space, not knowing if other people would adhere to social distancing guidelines and how we would have to enforce them. As the owner of Coco''s it''s easier for me to draw the line between acquiescent customer service and telling space invaders and mask rebels that I will make them toe that line. So, I have largely taken over that role.

Therefore, I have sold about 90% of the bikes in the last months and have learned a lot about where everyone is at. Masked but still human, it is more intimate than the bravado and rage of memes and re-tweets. Overwhelmingly, the reason that people are desperate to cycle at this time is that it makes sense - when so much doesn''t. When the grocery shelves were bare, we were sanitizing our mail and there was a lack of cohesive national pandemic strategy, many people got the wake up call.

This is a clean slate reboot. Everything gets fresh eyes.

On May 24th, we started selling redwood raised beds and I wrote this:

Which ever way your political wind blows, we understand you are not happy with your America. The macro nation and its divisions feel overwhelming, but we can live in a kinder, gentler and more engaged society by taking responsibility for the kindness we extend, the dollars we spend and the grace we share. Bikes, bread and raised beds will change our micro America. Putting the Variety in Coco's Variety since 2008 and we are just getting started. We are surviving on good vibes and high fives. Peace be with you. Raised beds coming soon.

The next day, George Floyd was murdered. Though I do believe everything that I said the day before, it is embarrassingly naive in scope now. The George Floyd murder and the Black Lives Matter awakening was our test for this clean slate reboot and our fresh eyes. If you weren''t sickened, outraged and taking a hard personal inventory, then, well, I don''t know what. Justice for no one until justice for everyone. I can and will do better.

Andy of Bub and Grandma''s Bakery and Coco''s Variety set aside Friday revenue for charity. First was The Bail Project - $1380. When you give, you also are spending. You are researching, learning, listening and educating yourself before you give that money. Nodding in agreement when a political candidate talks about bail reform is different than involving yourself actively or donating the money. You want the money to matter and this makes you dig. OF COURSE, I should already be educated about these issues. I can do better. And if donating and learning about the problem, the cause, the charity and their vision for a solution, well, that will be one of my paths. Recommended Why Bail?

Next week was Black Lives Matter LA - $1410 of your bread dollars. Bub bakes food, we distribute food, you buy food and we give that money to charity. Wednesdays - Coco''s and Bub''s coffers. Friday - Charity. Sunday - back to the coffers. Black Lives Matter LA is making the status quo squirm with campaigns that are changing policy, challenging leadership and demanding change. Yesterday on the BLM LA Gofundme page, Melina Abdullah posted about building infrastructure and developing a thoughtful and deliberate plan for the future - more money has been donated to BLM LA since the murder of George Floyd than in the prior 7 years of the organizations existence.

East Side Riders - $1390. Really wanted the team to pick the charities - big and small. Extreme personal direct help from small charities and big ideas lobbying/scholarship from national organizations. Aaron brought our attention to East Side Riders. Wow. The East Side Riders deliver extreme personal help - 90% to direct services. Pre-Covid, they were already doing pancake breakfasts but they ramped up to daily meals for those in need and have served 51,332 from a street corner in Watts. That is a hell of a bike club.

ESR (East Side Riders) aims to provide a comprehensive youth program that seeks to positively impact the following community needs: Inadequate Organized Recreational Outlets for local youth in the Watts area, a community that is rife with high rates of child obesity, asthma and other respiratory challenges amongst youth.?

This program encourages physical activity through bike riding for youth and their families; Lack of Safe Passage and Travel Routes: while Watts is a very small community, there are clear gang-related boundaries and territories that limit the movement of local youth based on where they reside; Youth Personal Development - teach local youth lifelong personal development skills based on their own self-interest, in a way that is interactive and fun.?

Youth learn bike safety, repair, maintenance, and design; Lack of Resources- families lack the resources to purchase bikes, safety gear, and/or other necessary equipment. This program allows local youth to learn and strengthen their physical activity skills, while developing new knowledge on health and wellness.

Then the bottom fell out of our bread sales - lots of things to point to. Friday, we raised $1390 for East Side Riders and then Sunday, not only did we not sell out, but had 42 bags of bread left over. We took bread for our neighbors and Andy rolled up the rest in his weekly donation to people in need. (You hardly hear about it because Andy is busy, modest and there is a lot to focus on, but Bub''s bakes for those in need every week. Not just give away the leftovers, specifically baking the same super premium loaf you enjoy for those in need.)

We cut out the Wednesday bread drop, reduced quantity of bread for Friday''s and Sundays and removed our two bag minimum. Also, to simplify, we started to only offer one type of bag - a mixed bag. A nice big boule (something for the week,) a baguette or focaccia (for tonight,) and a sweet something (for the morning.)

NAACP Legal Defense Fund - $750. Less money, as we had less bread, but no less deserving an institution. Take a deep dive on something like economic justice and understand how much work has been done but also understand how broad injustice is and how much there is to do.

Then Covid hit the bakery. One of the bakers got sick, tested positive and that sent a shiver through the soul of the bakery. The baker has recovered - though was quite sick - but so far 6 others tested positive. Andy shut down the bakery immediately. Two bakers got quite sick but are on the mend. As we are in close - though appropriate and masked - interaction with the bakery, Coco''s staff got tested and we are 6 of 6 negative.

Running the laundry and Coco''s, distributing bread, my wife had surgery (all ok!), Covid comes knocking next door and then Petra''s, my coin laundry manager, mother passed away in Texas. 20 years we have worked together, friends and family, and we are heartbroken for her. She is in Texas until further notice.

Covid brought a new thoughtfulness. Clean slated our lives, forced us to take a beat and reflect on what matters. Then George Floyd was murdered. I wouldn''t say I was ready, but I was certainly tender and open. Glad I was.

Skid Row Running Club Half Ironman

You may remember the Skid Row Running Club contacting us about buying used bikes.

From Melissa, a club board member:

Hi, we are a unique running club in downtown LA looking for some solid used bikes for a few of our members. We are a nonprofit and trying to stick to a budget of $200-$300 per bike.
We train for marathons throughout the year but have a few members showing interest in triathlons and we want to support and encourage them.
Please let me know if you have anything that may fit within our needs and price range.

Please watch this short and incredible video about the Skid Row Running Club.

We raised $990 in a little over an hour. Coco''s chipped in $600 and Skid Row Running Club brought $600. It was amazing. I was crying but that isn''t that unusual as I cry about everything. We delivered the bikes, helmets, spare tubes, CO2 inflators, a pump, patch kits and a bunch of other stuff. Today, Jason donated a big box of kits in terrific condition.

That Bianchi is one of the bikes that we donated with all of your generous help. At Coco''s we want to think about how to turbocharge our giving. We want to be financially generous, but we also want to be able to have an impact beyond our dollars. With this project, we were able to turbocharge our impact by sourcing and refurbishing some great used bikes. To be able to continue to support the Skid Row Bikes as we have committed to ongoing maintenance. Most important, be able to share the incredible story with our committed Coco''s supporters and let them be involved to see their money making a difference.

Last Sunday we held our first ever Skid Row Running Club Half Ironman and it was a very special day.

We had 5 guys do the entire half and over 20 additional people either biking and running or just biking or just running.

The guys had such a great time and are ready to train for a full:)

I''m also hopeful a few of the members will join Judge Mitchell in May to ride with him for part of his cross country bike trip.

Here''s some photos from the event and I''ll continue to send pics as we have biking events.

Much love and appreciation,

Skid row Running Club

Thank you Melissa for driving the effort, reaching out and making it happen. Peace be with you, Skid Row Running Club.

Continuing Donations for the Skid Row Running Club

If you have used kits, jerseys, bibs, gloves or helmets in nice condition, please bring those clean and sanitized items to Coco''s during regular business hours and we will get them to the Skid Row Running Club.

This is Not the Bike Alert! Email

As a reader of the Dispatch from the Edge of the Coco''s Variety Universe, you know that is a meandering path that all but ignores commerce. Our new Bike Alert! email is brief and focused only on fresh new and used bicycle inventory. I reiterate as I believe some people have signed up for The Dispatch (this newsletter) - god bless ''em and I hope they enjoy it, but they may be missing the new bike stock inventory that is covered in the Bike Alert! email.

You can subscribe here.

Business Update

Laundry Update - in the early days of COVID, income was down a startling 63%. Several employees resigned out of concern for their health, so we were short staffed and limited our hours as a result. We needed two employees at all times as it was difficult to enforce our policies amongst considerable push back. Though the laundry was losing buckets of money, I believed it was an essential service for the community and needed to support the neighborhood that supported us.

Now, income is only down 33.6%. At this level, it still loses more than $5000 per month. This isn''t a reduction in profit or a mere income drop, this is fully in the red where it costs $5000 more to be open than closed. With full transparency of my financial position, I asked the landlord for a 50% rent reduction recommending that we review results quarterly. Instead, they lowered the September rent by 29% (the first rent concession in 20 years) and wants to review financials every month. The burden of monthly financial reporting to my landlord and the still very high rent is difficult to accept. But acceptance or abandoning are the only choices.

Like restaurants, the laundry doesn''t pencil out at safe distancing capacity. It needs to be hopping, elbow to elbow, to afford LA''s insane utility prices and rental rates. But it isn''t mere lower safe occupancy limits that is fueling the decline. Pacoima is financially devastated by the loss of employment due to COVID. A community that works in restaurants, hotels, private homes, etc. has been heavily affected by the shutdown. "But people have to do laundry!" I often hear. Yes, but if you are destitute, you are doing it in the bathtub. Besides, the kids aren''t in school, work has stopped, so you need less clothes. If you need 33% less clothes, it is easy to see laundry income declining 33%.

To get back to profitability, you need everything. Vaccine, school in session, employment return to pre-COVID levels, people to feel safe to resume having their house cleaned, desire to eat out and go to hotels and, importantly, a human capacity to feel safe again elbow to elbow in a coin laundry. I need a better crystal ball but it is hard to see a path.

Bicycle Shop Update - bike sales slowed down all of a sudden. The reason I was able to support the laundry is because Coco''s was so bonkers busy. The heat, the return to school, the smoke and the lack of the Fed unemployment kicker all ended the bike boom as quickly as it started. We are still busy with repairs, selling tubes and helping people get back on the road, but bike sales have reduced about 75%. A bright spot, we have more time to build the used bikes that we are known for. Faded champions reborn for another chance at glory are a cornerstone of our ethos and it has been buoying to bring them back.

What are we going to do? We have been here 7 days a week for 6 months. Closed to the public 2 days a week to catch up on repairs, but we were still here working. Starting this Thursday, we are going to be open 6 days a week with one catch up day - closed only Monday. Though we love the luxury of being closed to plow through repairs, we can no longer lose that day of income.

Why share all of this? The businesses around you are going through the same machinations that we are. Give them a break. Everything is more difficult - cleaning, safety protocols, sourcing issues, slow mail, arguing with customers about masks and strained, masked communication all while the business is losing money. Small business continues - taking out loans, losing money, keeping people employed, providing for the community and shouldering on because they don''t have a choice.

Quail Dies, Buried

Has been a banner year for quail but the loss of this one was a heartbreaker. Discovered near plate glass window - expect it was related. Would never kill a quail to get a closer look, but it sure was amazing to see the feather detail so close. The speckled collar was unbelievable. I have an animal graveyard on my property now.

Recent Bikes from Bike Alert! Email

A 55 CM Raleigh Soujourn - a real touring bike with spare spoke holders, 3 x 9 Indexed Shimano Deore/Tiagra drive train and a comprehensive refurbishment including tires, tubes, 2 chain rings, a cassette, chain, bar tape, saddle, et al. $695

A GT Triple Triangle vintage mountain bike arrived with a bent fork and has been reborn as a burrito slayer with a new chrome fork and much more. $425

Used woom 2 with freewheel kit for $319.

Used Specialized Sirrus Expert which is the highest spec flat bar road bike that Specialized sells. 11 speed 105 with Magura hydraulic brakes. Full carbon, nicely kept, full refurb. Large $1250 - these are $2300 new.

From Garage Sale to Coco''s

The majority of our used bikes come from a relatively small number of people - friends of the store that are collector fiend/picker types. My buddy Mike is a BMX collector to the exclusion of all other bikes but he knows what I am looking for, understands quality and originality and picks up bikes for me in his travels. He makes some money and, as he has sold me a hundred bikes over the years, so he and Matt get first look at any vintage BMX stuff that I find.

He sent me this photo of a garage sale pick within 20 seconds of it hitting his truck bed. He didn''t even offer the Schwinn stepthrough cruiser underneath as he knows I am not actively seeking those but I am sure he has another guy like me for Chicago Schwinns.

We are selling for $425 which is a fraction of what I paid Mike but our relationship works as he values the time and money that we need to put in to sell a warrantied, functional, dialed bicycle.

Squint at the truck bed picture and Where''s Waldo the differences. The gummed up Altus shifters are gone as is the brake levers as those are a single unit. No longer has the straight black handlebar or bar end tree hooks. New chain, pedals, tires, tubes, bar, shifters, brake levers, grips, brake pads, saddle.

We can resuscitate those shifters 95% of the time, but they often gum up again on a cold morning after not being ridden for a couple months.

Univega Alpina Uno, medium 18", warranty, $425

Wanted: Plants and Pots

For six months, our bike sales have been one-on-one in our back yard. Doesn''t look like this is going to change anytime soon, so we would like to soften the edges and green it up a little bit.

Requesting donations of plants, cuttings and non-plastic planters. Just bring by Coco''s any time during open hours.

The photo above is from Monday when I was gathering Coco''s Garden cuttings from my geraniums and discovered a quail''s nest therein.

UPDATE: We have been getting LOTS of great plant and planter donations! We can use more! Especially vessels of all sorts as the plant cup is overflowing. We REALLY appreciate your cuttings and when I look at the plants I see all of you. Told you I was a sap.

Let''s Chat!

This is a real highs and lows newsletter and I didn''t get to cover lots of cool and fun stuff that is going on. I hope to get to that sooner than letter and increase newsletter frequency, but as this Dispatch illustrates, this is a challenging and demanding time for my businesses. Also, I think Bub bags will return soon, so I may send a newsletter about that before the ink dries on this one. You are printing these out, right?

You can always email me direct at misterjalopy@gmail.com.

We sell bikes too, though you''d never know it from the newsletter. Coco''s buys, sells, trades and discusses all manner of what-have-you.

Coco''s Variety is Closed
Due to Coronavirus Exposure

always Yesterday, we learned that one of our employees may have been exposed to coronavirus at his other job. He was eating lunch in his car when he learned and didn''t come back in the building. We closed immediately.

All employees at Coco''s and at his other job were masked.

He got a rapid result test this morning which came back negative, but to allow for the recommended 5 days of incubation time, he will get another test Tuesday morning. If all goes well, we should reopen Tuesday.

Tomorrow, Monday, December 21st, we are closed to the public as we always reserve Monday''s to work behind the scenes placing orders, completing repairs, cleaning and regrouping. As Tiff and Dylan didn''t work with subject A, they will be there tomorrow, so it is possible you will get a call about your repair.

Skid Row Running Coastal Tour Completed

The Skid Row Running Club completed their coastal tour! 13 members completed the 540 mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Incredible. In total, we were able to procure and refurbish 9 bikes for the club with the amazing generosity and grace of the Coco''s community. All bikes were brought up to the warrantied Coco''s Blue Tag standard.

From Melissa:

From November 28 - December 5th, 13 members of the Skid Row Running Club rode over 540 miles from San Francisco back to Los Angeles thanks to the donations and generosity from you, your amazing staff and the Coco''s Family.

The bikes that were sponsored by yourself and your clients were put to work and brought everyone back home safely with an amazing adventure to share.

With the chaos and sadness that has surrounded 2020, having something so special happen for the team is an act of kindness we will be forever grateful for. Thanks for answering our email, it would have been so easy to ignore it.

None of our teammates had done anything close to that kind of a ride and they are so incredibly appreciative to have had the opportunity and we look forward to another big adventure hopefully in May:) we will keep you in the loop.....

Hope to put more miles on these awesome bikes and we will be keeping in touch.

Today the team is riding from Anaheim to Oceanside. They are totally into it!!

So much love and appreciation,

From all of your friends at the Skid Row Running Club

Continuing Donations for the Skid Row Running Club

If you have used kits, jerseys, bibs, gloves or helmets in nice condition, please bring those clean and sanitized items to Coco''s during regular business hours and we will get them to the Skid Row Running Club. Melissa often mentions that the padded cycling shorts were extremely well received by grateful club members.

This is Not the Bike Alert! Email

As a reader of the Dispatch from the Edge of the Coco''s Variety Universe, you know that it is a meandering path that all but ignores commerce. Our new Bike Alert! email is brief and focused only on fresh new and used bicycle inventory.

You can subscribe here.

Business Update

I am going to skip the business update in this Dispatch. Still impossible, still losing money, still holding on. Running a retail business that is closed the weekend before Christmas is the candle on the 2020 cake.

If the government can send $1200 checks to everybody, why can''t they mail a couple masks, a coronavirus test, some hand sani and a tub of government cheese-style Lysol wipes?

Bub Mystery Bag Update

Bub''s Bags will return in January. Our plans for a December return were dashed as Bub''s was short staffed due to multiple employees being exposed to coronavirus and having to go through the same machinations we are.

Recent Bikes from Bike Alert! Email

Extra Small Liv women''s specific road bike. Ridden three times, two years old. Tiagra 10 speed, disc, tubeless compatible rims. $850

Pashley Princess Soveriegn - 5-speed, dynamo, drum brake. Made in England. Weighs more than a Kia Sorrento.

$1500 new
$850

Torker Interurban. The ideal commuter road bike for someone on a budget. Steel, rack and fender mounts, brifters.

56 CM
$500

What I Am Reading

Glacier lake that is revealing more and more skeletons as the planet warms - 300 or so to date. Geneticists and anthropologists tussle over the meaning of genetic information and whether that usurps or adds to traditional anthropology. Terrific!

New Yorker

Also, I have been trying to buy a copy of the out of print The Stone Masters for about 6 months and finally got a $50 copy with some dust jacket issues. Here is non-Coco''s affiliated blog post about it. It is terrific book about 1970''s dirtbag rock climbers.

What I Am Listening To

My love for the Royal Horticultural Society podcast is well documented, but I particularly enjoyed the December 17th podcast and it has me wondering how much I will need to plant to ''sequester'' my carbon burden.

RHS

Also, Transmissions: The Definitive Story of Joy Division & New Order

Double also, here is my personal Christmas playlist. I only listen to Christmas music from 9 PM Halloween night until New Year''s Day. That means I listen to a LOT of Christmas music and these are some of the roasted chestnuts from this year.

A Note of Complicity with Facebook

In my last Dispatch, I wrote a longer piece on the deal with the devil we make when we use Facebook products.

Here is a more succinct take on it - PUMP LOVE INTO THE ALGORITHM. It is subversive. Save your diatribes, conspiracy theories and vitriol for discussions with your dog. Load social media with love.

What if your ten pounds of love can disarm one pound of hate?

Wills Pottery and Coco''s Variety

The pottery is by our neighbor, supporter and customer Wills Brewer (@iswills.) Cast iron from the Pacoima Boyz. We sold out - for which I am incredibly grateful. Wills pays rent, Coco''s lives on.

Let''s Chat!

It had been awhile since my last newsletter. They are time consuming to write as my writing is a little rusty. As evidenced by my using write twice in the last sentence. I am going to skip revisions and proofreading and let this rip so I can get back to crying in my calvados. Some things not covered - the new Coco''s license plate frames, our trip to East Side Riders to help out with their bikes and the bee hive that caught on fire on the top of my chimney. It was a like a jet engine!

Peace be with you. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Be kind to the neighbor with the yard sign that you don''t like. Love the neighbor, hate the sign.

You can always email me direct at misterjalopy@gmail.com.

We sell bikes too, though you''d never know it from the newsletter. Coco''s buys, sells, trades and discusses all manner of what-have-you.

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Age of a New Thoughtfulness

Archive

Coco''s Variety

Welcome to Coco''s Variety!

Skid Row Running Club Half Ironman

Continuing Donations for the Skid Row Running Club

This is Not the Bike Alert! Email

Business Update

Quail Dies, Buried

Recent Bikes from Bike Alert! Email

From Garage Sale to Coco''s

Wanted: Plants and Pots

Let''s Chat!

Archive

Coco''s Variety is Closed
Due to Coronavirus Exposure

Skid Row Running Coastal Tour Completed

Continuing Donations for the Skid Row Running Club

This is Not the Bike Alert! Email

Business Update

Bub Mystery Bag Update

Recent Bikes from Bike Alert! Email

What I Am Reading

What I Am Listening To

A Note of Complicity with Facebook

Wills Pottery and Coco''s Variety

Let''s Chat!

Archive

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Start Searching Today!

Nanobrow Sign Up Information

Email Address

Your Name

Your Address

Phone Number

Post-Registration Data

Validation

Membership Emails

Age of a New Thoughtfulness

Archive

Coco''s Variety

Welcome to Coco''s Variety!

Skid Row Running Club Half Ironman

Continuing Donations for the Skid Row Running Club

This is Not the Bike Alert! Email

Business Update

Quail Dies, Buried

Recent Bikes from Bike Alert! Email

From Garage Sale to Coco''s

Wanted: Plants and Pots

Let''s Chat!

Archive

Coco''s Variety is Closed Due to Coronavirus Exposure

Skid Row Running Coastal Tour Completed

Continuing Donations for the Skid Row Running Club

This is Not the Bike Alert! Email

Business Update

Bub Mystery Bag Update

Recent Bikes from Bike Alert! Email

What I Am Reading

What I Am Listening To

A Note of Complicity with Facebook

Wills Pottery and Coco''s Variety

Let''s Chat!

Archive

Comments about nanobrow

Recently added URLs

Top 10 Search URLs

Top 10 Categories

Coco''s Variety is Closed
Due to Coronavirus Exposure