San Francisco Hayes Valley bike shop to close after storms, crime
SAN FRANCISCO -- The High Road Bike Co. in San Francisco's Hayes Valley has announced that it is closing for good at the end of May, after repeated crimes, the slow economy and months of storms kept customers away.
Over about the last two years, burglars have hit the shop so many times, owner Chris Callaway lost track of the actual number.
He shared photos of the damage, including an empty display where a thief had cut a pricey e-bike loose.
A side door was repeatedly broken in half so many times, Callaway eventually sealed it off completely.
He said the last straw came a few months ago, when a man just rode off with a bike during business hours.
"A little bit bittersweet," Callaway said of the closure. "Part of me is kind of happy to go home and hopefully get a little bit more rest versus getting calls from the alarm company. That was pretty stressful."
He shared various police reports he's collected after each break-in.
Crime is only a contributing factor to his decision to close. In addition to the rain, fewer commuters in San Francisco didn't help sales.
Callaway has lived in the city for 25 years, and owns multiple small businesses, including what began as a bike shop in Jackson Square.
"We had a break-in attempt there pretty much the first day that we were at the shop, but luckily I was there when someone tried to break in and I was able to scare them off," he said.
He has since turned the space into a flower shop.
The crime isn't scaring off Callaway and he isn't giving up on San Francisco.
In fact, he plans to open a new cannabis dispensary called Outer Haze on Van Ness in about two weeks.
"I think our city's definitely at an inflection point, and we have an opportunity to grow from this moment and I kind of am looking forward to seeing how things are going to change," he said.
High Road Bike Co. isn't the only Hayes Valley storefront that's been targeted. Consumer electronics store B8ta eventually closed after multiple break-ins and an armed robbery in 2021.
Last September, someone smashed the windows at bedding store Brooklinen on Hayes Street.
Still, Callway considers the strong merchants association in Hayes Valley, the addition of ambassadors and the presence of beat cops bright spots in the neighborhood.
"I just love this city so much and I do know that these are issues that you will find in other cities as well. I think it's just the support of the community and the people here that I just love so much," he said.
