It’s safe to say none of us were around 100 years ago to see the grand opening of Jones Bicycles.
Almost no other Long Beach business from that time is still open for business today.
In honor of the store’s centennial and as a way of thanking the community that supports it, Jones Bicycles is throwing an anniversary party on Saturday, July 17.
The event will kick off at 9:30 a.m. with a “family fun bike ride” around Belmont Shore.
The ride will start at the store location, 5332 E. 2nd St. and will head south on Bayshore Avenue, proceed up Long Beach Boulevard, return to 2nd St. via Roycroft Ave., and end back at the store.
A bike valet service on the 5330 block of E. 2nd St. will allow cyclists to conveniently park for the event.
The event will include live music, performances by professional trick bike riders and skateboarders, free treats and refreshments, contests, drawings to win the Jones Anniversary bike designed by Nirve and other prizes.
It will be a free event for people of all ages. The event will be held until 2 p.m. and the location includes Santa Ana Avenue, south of 2nd St.
Bike shop is a survivor
F.S. (Frank Samuel) Jones opened the bike shop in 1910 at 10th and Long Beach Boulevard (then called American Avenue).
The store has survived the Great Depression, the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, two World Wars, the Los Angeles Riots, a total loss fire, and five major economic recessions.
John and Lisa Genshock are now the fourth generation of owners, eager to share the amazing history of the store as it celebrates its centennial as one of the oldest established bicycle stores in the United States.
The monumental milestone comes at the perfect time in Long Beach’s history with the city’s declaration to become the “most bike friendly city in the country.”
The city hired mobility coordinator Charles Gandy to make this desire a reality and has taken major steps to do so.
The city’s investment in promoting cycling as a means for commuting and insuring cyclists safety has created shared bike lanes and the installation of dozens of bike racks through out the city.
In the near future Long Beach will also build protected bike lanes on 3rd Street and Broadway, convert parking spaces to bike corals, as well as create the nation’s first bike boulevard.
Local bike businesses, such as Jones Bicycles, have seen a recent increase in purchases by people using their bikes as their main mode of transportation.
Lisa and John Genshock, owners of Jones Bicycles have long embraced cycling as a way of life.
The two were avid cyclists before working as employees at the bike store. The couple purchased the store from Robert Olson (creator of the Univega brand of bicycles) in 1994.
They have realized their own vision of Jones, filling the 2nd Street location with a tremendous inventory of not only bikes but also skateboards and snowboards.
In addition, John Genshock has created an amusing atmosphere with such unique curiosities as a drone missile, a crane game from the old Long Beach Pike, and a custom-painted vintage Porsche.
