PORTLAND, Ore. — Lumberyard Bike Park in Northeast Portland is the ultimate playground for BMX and mountain bikers. It will be closing its doors permanently in September and both customers and employees alike say they will miss the sense of community.
Co-owners Will Heiberg and Michael Whitesel transformed an old bowling alley into the bike park 10 years ago.
"The whole idea behind this is to give people a place to ride bikes, have fun create a sense of community and to be a skill-building facility," said Heiberg. "We've had a lot of curveballs through the last 10 years."
A four-alarm fire broke out just yards away from the bike park in 2019. The flames crept right up to an exterior wall. They got some smoke and roof damage but recovered.
And then the pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions came.
"We had to limit the number of people that could come in," explained Heiberg. "Masking while riding a bike is definitely a bummer so all that had an effect."
Revenue dropped by about 60% and with the lease at their current location ending soon, they made the tough decision to close up shop for good this fall.
Customers like Gemma Adams are devastated by the news.
"It’s a very special place, it’s unique there’s nothing like it around here so it’s going to be a major loss to the city," said Adams. She said the indoor course offers more than a space to recreate, "it’s incredible the amount of confidence, the balance I’ve gained, the fear that I’ve overcome learning the courses in here.”
Lumberyard Bike Park will stay open through August and offer all their summer. The will close for good at some point in September. The closure will impact about 20 employees.