Rag & Bones started as a tiny shop, but it has always been cooperatively and volunteer run. The space contains workbenches, literature, and tools available the public, as well as plenty of recycled parts. On-site volunteers are available to help answer questions and teach new skills during open hours. We are first and foremost an educational space, and greatly value learning together and passing on knowledge whenever possible.
We do most things in consideration of people’s varied means. We do have operating costs though, and rely fully on your donations to meet those costs. Our shop sells affordable bikes and parts to cover most of that cost, which you can find more about in our shop & sales page. To find out what bikes are currently for sale, visit our Instagram.
Rag & Bones offers as much as it can for free through a variety of programs. If you’re looking for a bike but can’t afford one, we have an adult Earn-A-Bike program, where you can trade hours volunteered in the shop towards a bicycle. For kids, we have a youth night, where we teach repairs and where they can also do just one volunteer hour for us to get themselves a free bicycle. During the summer we partner to host Camp Spokes, a free weeklong summer camp for girls and gender non-conforming youth to learn about bikes, mechanics and riding.
In partnership with our friends at It’s Wheel Simple, we’ll begin offering affordable workshops in the Spring of 2023. All proceeds from these will go to keeping the space open. We aim to offer as much knowledge as possible to as many people as possible. To do this, we also offer mobile bike repair and education at community events. If you have questions about the shop, or you’d like to partner with us, please send us an email at info@ragandbonesrva.org.
ragandbonesrva.org 