Denman Bikes Main at 10th

Denman Bike Shop co-owner Julie Bischoff certainly comes by her profession honestly.

“My roots go back to 1906 in England, when my great grandfather opened the first family bike shop, and he and my great-grandmother worked together running it,” she recalls. “It was my great-grandmother, my great-grandfather, then my grandmother and my grandfather. My grandmother used to build bicycle wheels when she got home from school. And it wasn't just that they owned the business; They ran it together.”

Now, more than 100 years later, Julie and her partner Justis Morginn continue that family tradition together. With two Vancouver locations (one on Main Street and one in the West End), Denman Bike Shop specializes in commuter bikes and accessories for urban cyclists – couples, beginners and enthusiasts – in a friendly, non-intimidating environment. In fact, when Julie first walked through the door, she found the experience so pleasant, she went from customer to partner - in work and in life.

“Ten years ago, I walked into the Denman Bike Shop in the West End, and I was met by the most charismatic guy,” she recalls, “and I got amazing service, and a wonderful bike. And by the time I was done the whole experience, as the story goes, I liked the bike so much, I bought the owner.”