LOS ANGELES (BRAIN) — Husband and wife team Chase and Tami Spenst recently opened The Wheelhouse, a full-service bike shop and café, in the Los Angeles Art District.
The 3,700 square-foot shop is focused on urban riding and the bicycle lifestyle. The Wheelhouse offers bikes from Handsome Cycles, Heritage Bicycle, Rivendell and Surly, and a variety of bags, baskets and other accessories from Topo, Anhaica, Sackville and Yakkay. The Spensts will also stock books, gifts and other lifestyle accessories.
The Wheelhouse café features coffee from Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. and August Uncommon Tea. Superba Food + Bread supplies the pastries, and more menu items, including beer and wine, will be added in the future. The café has indoor and outdoor seating for 65.
"We want to take two things that are typically very intimidating — bicycles and coffee — and make them approachable and fun," said Chase Spenst. "The Wheelhouse is really about people and being able to showcase the work of amazing makers, doers and adventurers,"
Tami Spenst's design firm Pluck led the design of the industrial space, which features natural wood, exposed beams and a pair of garage-style roll up doors that lead to outdoor seating. The shop's service department is housed on a mezzanine-level loft, where patrons can rub elbows and talk shop with mechanics.
"We definitely want to offer a space that feels comfortable, a place where people want to spend time. I was inspired by the idea of an urban explorer- someone who thrives in the energy of a city but seeks inspiration in outdoor adventures and wandering through new places," Tami said.
The Wheelhouse, located at 1375 East 6th Street, Unit 6 in Los Angeles.
