|
Weir's
History
Gordon
Weir, an orphaned child, was only 15 years of age when he teamed up
with P.C. Rodes in a small shop and started learning the repair trade.
After serving a term in the military, Gordon returned to find that Rodes
had sold the shop. Because Gordon was handy, well-mannered, and had
the ability to work well with people, he was talked into starting his
own business in 1925.
The building that Gordon occupied at that time contained a house,
grocery, tailor, and, of course, Weir’s fix-it shop. Gordon fixed appliances,
lawn mowers, plumbing, and always bicycles.
In the 1950s Weir’s growth came from the repair of cruiser bicycles
used the local paper delivery boys. In 1953, Gordon’s son Ken came to
the store to work with him. They agreed that the bicycle business was
growing and decided to discontinue the lawn mower repair side of the
business. Father and son shifted the shop to more of a bike-oriented
store and concentrated on bike sales and service. In 1954, Weir’s started
carrying airplane and car hobby items, and so the transformation to
Weir’s Cycle and Hobby was complete.
In 1976, Ken Weir took over the store after working with his
father for 42 years. It was still likely, however, that Gordon would
be the first one in the store in the morning. He liked to help out and
visit with the customers.
The 70s brought a large growth in consumer multi-speed bikes,
and in the 80s came the explosion of mountain bicycling, and bicycle
technical innovation. However, by the 90s the model industry had started
to slow down. It was in the early 90s that Steven Weir came to work
at the store with his father Ken. By 1994, the decision was made to
exit the hobby side of the business and to concentrate once again on
bicycle sales and service.
In 1998, Steven Weir bought the store from his father Ken. Steven
Weir remodeled the store so that Weir’s Cyclery would be better able
to keep up with the now rapidly growing and evolving bicycle industry.
The upstairs of the building held additional room for bicycle inventory,
and the store walls were stocked full of wheels, tires, gloves, bags,
and bicycle accessories of all types.
Steven Weir is now the 3rd generation owner of Weir’s
Cyclery. Weir’s Cyclery continues to be an important part of the North
Portland community having served customers in the area for multiples
of generations. Steven Weir is an active member in the local area, volunteering
time and resources to many local events and charities, and states that
his business allows him to help the community that he has been vested
in for so long.
In January
of 2003, Steven Weir opened a second Weir's Cyclery location in the
heart of St. Johns to better serve the North Portland community. In
keeping with tradition and history, Steven located the bicycle shop
in the building formally occupied and owned by St. Johns Hardware. St.
Johns Hardware had been established since 1908 and had a rich local
history; it is a fitting location for the new cyclery. With the explosion
of growth from the new store, in 2005 Steven closed the original location
to better focus and serve the St. Johns community.
Weir’s Cyclery focuses on maintaining its perspective and concentrates
on customer service and loyalty. Weir's philosophy has created a friendly
environment that caters to cyclists of all types, a philosophy that
has worked now for over 75 years.
 
|
