shop hours: Monday through Friday 10-6 / Saturday & Sunday 10-4
Update March 22, 2023
The time has come to end our mask requirement for shop guests. We still really appreciate it and think it’s a great idea for folks to mask in public, but we will no longer require it. Additionally, we’ll keep masks available if you want one, and our staff will continue to wear masks.
We’re also lifting our customer capacity limits. If it feels crowded in the shop, you can always give us a wave from the doorway and we can chat outside.
While COVID, a gnarly seasonal flu and other viruses continue to spread and harm folks in our community, we encourage you to stay home if you are not feeling well, practice good hand hygiene, and be mindful of your proximity to others during your visit to Golden Pliers. We are happy to accommodate requests for curbside & contactless services—just give us a call.
Update March 13, 2022
Yesterday Oregon once again ended the statewide mask mandate, but like many local businesses in Portland, we are keeping ours in place.
Masks are still required to come inside Golden Pliers.
We’ve got spare face masks if you forget yours, and we can always step outside to chat too. All staff will continue to wear masks, and indoor capacity will remain at 4 customers. Thanks for your continued support!
Update July 1, 2021
With the state ending most pandemic restrictions, we wanted to clarify that Golden Pliers will keep our safety measures intact for the foreseeable future. While we’re stoked that so many people are getting vaccinated and COVID deaths and illnesses are declining, the pandemic is far from over. We strive to create a safer environment for everyone in our community, including small children, immunocompromised people, and others who cannot be vaccinated. Since we’re all comfortable and well acquainted with these safety measures. it’s the least we can do to keep them up :)
Please mind these basic safety guidelines when you visit our shop:
Wear a mask (our staff will continue to wear masks, too). We’ve got masks on hand if you need one.
Customer limit of 4 people—wait outside if we’re at capacity.
All food and drink is to-go. Step outside before sipping that coffee!
Limit your time spent inside the shop—be mindful of others waiting.
Keep a safe and considerate distance from other parties inside the shop.
Thanks for continuing to help keep our staff and community safe!
Update January 17, 2021
We’ve seen some questionable face coverings lately, so we decided to solidify the types of face coverings that are acceptable for shop entry:
We know it’s confusing that every business has its own set of safety guidelines. But this is the world we live in, and ultimately, our decisions are aimed at keeping us all as safe as possible. Fixing and selling bikes and coffee should not be a life-threatening endeavor. Please don’t take it personally if we offer you a (complimentary) disposable surgical mask.
For further safety guidelines, please read on below. Thanks for respecting our guidelines and helping to keep our community safe!
Update October 27, 2020
We are now allowing a limited number (2) of customers inside the shop. While we can’t be the mellow social hangout spot we once were, we hope to keep serving our customers in a safe and friendly environment. Here’s how it works:
Wear a face covering that completely covers your nose, mouth, and chin.
If you see 2 customers inside the shop, wait outside until someone exits.
Please don’t bring your bike inside before checking in with staff. We will spray your bike with disinfectant before bringing it inside. If you’re not in for bike service, please lock your bike outside at our ample bike parking.
Use the provided hand sanitizer when you enter the shop, and again when you leave.
When browsing, ask to see items before touching.
Keep at least 6 feet between yourself and others. Be mindful of your space and your belongings.
We have food, coffee, beer and wine; all items will be served to-go. We ask that you wait until you’re outside to consume your food or drink.
Be mindful of your time spent inside, especially if others are waiting. If you’re waiting on a flat fix or you’ve ordered a coffee drink, please wait outside.
If you’d rather not come inside, no problem! Come to the doorway and wave and our staff can come outside to take your coffee order, show you some products, or discuss a repair.
Please be patient! Our mechanics double as sales staff and our barista is usually pulling triple duty—checking repairs in and out and acting as salespersons. Everything takes longer because of all the disinfecting and handwashing and distancing. We’re trying to do things right and keep everyone safe. So be nice.
Service is steady, and repair turnarounds are pretty quick these days—generally within the week. Swing by for an assessment and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Beginning November 1st, we will be open SUNDAYS! Way back when we first opened the shop, we were open Sundays. Mainly just for the tumbleweeds that blew through on lonesome winds. But that was almost 3 years ago, and these days it seems like people know we exist and frequently stop by on Sundays. So, we’ll be around. Being the only coffee bar for several blocks has kept us busy on Saturdays, and we hope that’ll ring true through the weekend. Here’s hoping it’s worth it.
Update September 24, 2020
With the first of the cool and rainy fall weather arriving, we’re working hard to rearrange the shop to allow customers to come inside. We hope to be ready with the new setup in the next week or two. To be clear this doesn’t mean we’ll be a cozy hangout space again, unfortunately. But it will mean one or two (masked, distanced, courteous) customers can come inside for service instead of shouting through our doorway over the traffic of Interstate avenue. The health and safety of our staff and customers is our first priority, and we want to make sure we’ve got all the safety measures in place before we open the doors.
We’ve also brought on a new full-time veteran mechanic (!!!) who is going to lighten Kevin’s workload considerably. This means we’ll be able to accommodate walk-in services more readily, and our turnaround times for most repairs are now just a day or two! We’re super excited to have Gram as part of our crew—say hi next time you’re in!
For more details about how we’re conducting business, read through the past posts (below)—all of that is pretty much still accurate. Or give us a call. Y’all know not to expect any constants these days, right? Keep masking up and washing yer hands folks, and we’ll seeya soon!
Update June 17th, 2020
As Multnomah County prepares to enter Phase I of reopening, we wanted to share a few key updates on how we are running Golden Pliers, and how we see our summer shaping up.
We are open for sales and service, though we are not allowing customer entry to the shop. We’re happy to help you find what you’re looking for and accept payment through the doorway. We accept payment of card, cash and Venmo, and can also invoice you through email.
We are trying to accommodate requests for walk-in service, but sometimes we are too overwhelmed. We are operating with ONE mechanic (Kevin) who also fills a dozen other roles in the shop. Thanks for understanding if we refer you to another shop or ask you to stop back another time.
Beginning June 23rd, we will be closed on Tuesdays (as well as our usual Sunday-Monday). We’ll still be working, so don’t be surprised if you get a phone call or email from us. We’ll allow pickup/dropoff for existing appointments, but we will not be open for sales or other walk-in services. We need at least one day to work uninterrupted, and we’d like that to not be our weekend!
All staff will be wearing a face covering and reminding customers to maintain proper (>6’) distance from us, and from one another. We appreciate when customers wear a mask, too. But we acknowledge that covering your face may feel unsafe for some due to health reasons or a history of being targeted and racially profiled by the police. We have masks and gloves available to customers on request; we may ask you to put on gloves to handle a product. We can’t accept returned merchandise at this time.
The supply chain for the bike industry is starting to see major interruptions. Not only are bike shops seeing a big increase in demand for bikes and bike things, we are also starting to feel the impact of factories being shut down and warehouses limiting their staff. It used to be we could order you a part and we’d get it within the week. These days we are waiting up to 2 weeks for our parts orders. We’re seeing shortages all over the place too, so don’t be surprised if you need a part and we’re not able to source it. We’ll do our best to get your bike going—just want everyone to be aware of some of the challenges we’re encountering.
We don’t plan to open our space to the public anytime soon. This feels all sorts of weird to us, especially since we built this business to be a place where folks can meet up, enjoy a coffee, chat about bike stuff, gather for a social ride. Sometimes it feels like most of the fun stuff has been trimmed away, and all we can manage is to crank out repairs and a few quick sales. Love for our community is still very much a part of Golden Pliers, and is the very reason we are choosing to exercise the most caution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We won’t be offering our small space to crowds or encouraging group rides anytime in the near future. We’ve been playing with ways of rearranging the shop so that one or two customers could at least come inside if it’s raining, but we’re not there yet. Some day, folks. Hang in there, and stay safe!
Update May 6th, 2020
Every week it feels like we are living in a completely different world with a whole new set of customs and norms. We are adapting as best we can, and we’ll move forward with a continued commitment to keeping our staff and our community safe and healthy. Golden Pliers will continue to operate with “curbside” service—meaning the café stays closed, and we’ll continue to ask folks to wait outside for sales and service. We have tables setup inside and outside our doors so that we can exchange goods and payments while maintaining a 6 foot distance. We are all wearing face masks for customer interactions, and appreciate when customers do the same.
We’re also adjusting the way we schedule service. It’s always a good idea to give us a call (971.808.5795), but basically we need to see your bike before scheduling a tuneup or other repair service. We tried scheduling over the phone and by email, and it was kind of like an episode of Car Talk where the caller tries to imitate the clicks, whooshes, clunks and ticks of their car in hopes of a diagnoses. So, we’re now telling folks to just swing by and allow 15-30 minutes for a mechanic to assess your bike. We will sanitize it, go over the bike and recommend a service from there. If we need special parts, we can get those ordered, and we’ll schedule a time for you to bring back your bike, usually about a week later. We will take a $40 deposit to hold your appointment, or have you pay for the parts ordered. This eliminates a lot of guesswork in scheduling, and helps us get your bike back to you real quick (usually 24-48 hours, sometimes even same-day!).
We do have times when we get backed up, though. Last week we had 5 flat tires waiting outside…I was super impressed with how quickly people queued up on the sidewalk! With no direction, everyone formed a line maintaining 6’ apart and also leaving room for folks on the sidewalk to move past them. Good job, society! Mostly we are able to accommodate in-and-out services like flat fixes or chain replacement on-the-spot, but sometimes we’re just too swamped and we’ll ask you to come back another time. Again, give us a call ahead of time and we can usually let you know how busy we are.
Sales will still be handled through the doorway; you’ll be treated to a QVC-style shopping experience by one of our lovely staff members.
Finally, a big note of appreciation to all who are staying home when possible. Thanks for not giving in to the oh-so-tempting sunny weather invitation to meet up with friends and ride in each others’ breath clouds. Thanks for not poaching trails or riding outside of your community. Thanks for wearing a mask when you ride on city streets. It’s hard to know or see the impact of what we’re not doing, so we just want to say thanks and that we see you. Stay well, y’all, and keep taking good care of each other.
Update April 1st, 2020
We’ve found a sort of new normal at the shop these days. Most of our staff was able to come back at least one day per week (yay!), so our capacity to take in repairs has opened up quite a bit. If you are looking for service, here’s what you need to know:
All repairs are scheduled for drop-off; no in-and-out service. Little things (brake pad install, flat fix, etc.) we can generally do same-day, but you’ll need to call first and leave your bike with us.
Give us a call during shop hours or email Becky@goldenpliers.com to schedule. NO INSTAGRAM MESSAGES, please. (These get lost amongst fart jokes and we can’t guarantee a response).
We can quote you prices for services/parts, but we can’t do much without seeing the bike first. Once a mechanic assesses your bike, we’ll call you.
We’re generally scheduled 1-2 weeks out on tune-ups.
We require a $40 deposit to hold the appointment, which is nonrefundable but applies toward your final bill.
We’re still taking all forms of payment, but we prefer to do Venmo or invoice for sanitary reasons. You can also pay over the phone with a credit card.
When you drop off your bike, we will disinfect it with a bleach solution.
Please practice social distancing by keeping at least 6 feet between yourself and our staff.
If you’re wondering about sales…
No browsing and no store entry—we’re doing everything through the doorway at a safe distance. Our staff can bring products to the doorway for you to see.
We’ve got gloves and sanitizer for customer use if you need to handle a product.
Ask us about packaged drinks! We have 6-packs of beer, 4-packs of wine (cans), CBD drinks and a variety of soft drinks available to-go.
You can always call us to inquire about stock; if we’ve got what you need, we can even invoice you through email and have your purchase ready for you to pickup at the doorway. You can also email Becky@goldenpliers.com to inquire about stock or request an invoice.
We’ve slowly added some items to our online shop, including gift certificates (redeemable in-store).
Thanks to everyone for continuing to support us. Stay safe, y’all!
Update March 25, 2020
Here’s how things are looking at your local pandemic-ready bike shoppe, week two:
Last week was tough. The weather was nice and many people decided they were on vacation. Also lots of other bike shops closed or limited their services, driving that spring rush to the remaining shops, packing their schedules, straining their remaining staff. We went into this crisis thinking we’d be reacting to a massive slowdown in our business, but pivoted when we realized we actually needed to be setting boundaries, asking for patience and space. It caught us off guard, and now we’re ready to move forward with a better plan in place.
Please stay home. We are grateful for your business, but now is not the time to drop by to see how we’re doing. We’ll happily make a quick sale through the doorway or arrange payment over the phone, but we’re not allowing entry to the storefront. Purchasing a gift card or an item online is a great way to support us remotely. For most inquiries, you can email becky@goldenpliers.com ….Kevin’s email has been completely swamped this week so please hold off on contacting him, and allow extra time for responses. We’re trying to bring back staff to help whenever possible, but that means asking folks to potentially place themselves at risk and that just isn’t possible for everyone. We are a one- or two-person team right now with Kevin on repairs and the other person answering the phone (a full-time job in itself) and constantly sanitizing (also a full-time job). Keep in mind that every in-person interaction requires a whole sanitizing routine on our part, so if it’s not necessary, let’s make it a phone call instead.
To end with some positive news…you collectively funded what amounted to (almost) another pay period for our employees! So we were able to pay these wonderful humans even after they abruptly had their shifts cut. Also so many people bought gift certificates, reassuring that we’re covering next month’s rent AND we get to look forward to visits from all these fine folks (so they can redeem their cards) when things settle down. Looking forward to that time.
—-B & K
March 16, 2020
Hello friends,
We want to thank our amazing customers and community for thinking of us, their neighborhood shop, in these uncertain times. A number of you have come out to support Golden Pliers, knowing that keeping a small business alive is difficult even in the best of times. Y’all are awesome and we appreciate you. Thank you so very much.
Moving forward, we are going to ask y’all to practice social distancing in keeping with our community. Beginning March 17th, the bike shop will be open for appointments only for the foreseeable future. The café will be closed. What this means in practice: we’ll hold regular (reduced) hours, though the doors will be locked, and our staff will be minimal. No food or beverage service (though we can sell packaged beer & wine to-go). We can grab you a tube or whatever you need, but no browsing. We’ll ask you to leave your bike outside (unless it’s coming in for repair), and minimize your time spent in the shop. In and out. We are frequently disinfecting our space, all bikes, and minimizing touch points.
This is difficult to ask of you when we need your business, and some of you are experiencing cabin fever already. Many of you have some extra time on your hands these days, and we still think going for a bike ride (not in a big group) should absolutely be part of your day. Socializing around bikes has always been a part of the fabric of Golden Pliers, so it’s especially weird asking you to keep your distance. But it’s for everyone's benefit.
If you want to help keep Golden Pliers afloat while practicing social distancing, here are some ideas:
Make a purchase from our webstore. We just added a gift certificate option, so you can put some money into the shop and cash it in for cool stuff later. A new batch of t-shirts is on the way, too!
Schedule service over the phone or email. In regards to custom builds, we are still happy to work with you on your dream bike, and most of this stuff takes place via email exchanges anyway, so this isn’t much out of the ordinary for us.
Make a purchase via phone or email. While we don’t (and can’t) list all of our products in our webstore, we often allow customers to pay via invoice, Venmo, or over the phone with a credit card. This will minimize contact points during your transaction.
Get stuff delivered. Our pals at Cascadian Courier Collective deliver just about anything in the city by bicycle, and we love supporting them. We can arrange to have your purchases delivered to you.
As for our staff--they are a small but mighty group. For most of them, Golden Pliers is a very small part of their income, but it hurts nonetheless to deprive them of that income. We’re setting them up with loads of food and coffee (since we’re closing the café) and giving them what we hope won’t be much more than a Spring Break. You can also contribute to a fund that we’ll use to compensate each employee based on how much they normally work at the shop. You can contribute any amount through Venmo (@goldenpliers) with a note that it’s intended for the employee fund.
We realize that we wouldn’t be here without your support, and we thank yah’s for being creative and thoughtful during these real weird times. Go ride your bikes!
Much love and strength,
--Kevin and Becky