New bike shop hopes to add life to Hillyard neighborhood

SPOKANE, Wash. — A new bike shop run by lifelong cyclists is coming to the Hillyard neighborhood.

The owners of North Division Bicycle are opening the new shop on Market Street, a mere stone’s throw away from the Children of the Sun Trail. They said they picked this area because they feel the neighborhood is turning a corner in part due to the North South Freeway.

Ever since the Wellesley exit opened up on the freeway, locally-owned businesses in the area have had a breather from the congested, loud traffic the large semi trucks used to bring.

“There were semi trucks that would drive by here all day long,” said Scott Willegale, the owner of Hillyard Bike Shop.

Willegalle, along with a local thirft store owner, say it is easier and much safer to drive or walk around the area to spend time in these local shops. It’s one of the many steps towards revitalizing the Hillyard neighborhood, which Willegalle wanted to be part of.

“It’s the last historic district in the area that can be revitalized,” Willegalle said. “They’ve done Perry and the Garland area already, which turned out fabulous. This is the last bit of section of the city of Spokane that we’re able to come into and help revitalize the economy a little bit.”

Willegale and his partner Brenda will offer bike tune ups, rentals, retail and much more at their store, ‘Hillyard Bicycle.’

The Children of the Sun Trail is fifty feet from Willegalle’s shop, which he hopes will encourage families to rent or buy bikes and go explore the area.

“They can go right from our door to the trail and go out and go downtown north to the Wandermere area,” he said.

There’s still more work that needs to be done before the shop is ready to open in March; Willegalle says they’re still rolling out their inventory, designing the interior, and working to track down a sign for the outside of the historic building.

While the big trucks haven’t completely evaporated from Market Street, it is a promising step towards what’s to come in an area that lives the phrase “family owned.”