Confluence Cyclery
Everything was just super, super easy and clear. Easy peasy.
People
Peggy Miltenberger bought several homes in Confluence – one to live in, the others to rent out – and knew that the town’s economy depends on cyclists wheeling in from the Great Allegheny Passage. “When I heard that the bike shop was for sale, I thought, oh no, if that becomes anything other than a bike shop, my investment is shot,” she says. So Peggy, a real estate developer, bought the Confluence Cyclery. She quickly realized that it could be even more of an economic crankset, but she’d need capital.
Progress
The shop’s prior owner and other locals told Peggy where to turn. The Progress Fund loaned $130,000, giving her the flexibility to add e-commerce, expand the shop’s space and offerings, and start converting part of the property into a hostel.
Impact
E-bikes are opening cycling to more people and energizing trail-focused business. Confluence Cyclery – now operated by Peggy’s son, Scott – gets at least half of its business from the rental, sale or maintenance of e-bikes, and the conversion of conventional cycles into electrics. Retaining and enhancing the bike traffic preserves the restaurants, shops and hospitality businesses on which Confluence relies. “This isn’t just a job,” says Peggy. “This is a hobby, this is a passion, this is community commitment, to keep Confluence this gorgeous little town that it is.”
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