ReCYCLEry celebrates 10th anniversary, new location

After six months without a home, a Carrboro cycling organization has finally settled into its newest location.

The ReCYCLEry celebrated its move to Chapel Hill as well as its official nonprofit status and 10th anniversary Saturday.

The event included food and local music along with an evening bicycle ride that went around some of the nonprofit’s former locations.

“It’s a good day to show people what we have to offer,” said Vijay Sivaraman, a board member for the organization.

The ReCYCLEry, now located at 108 N. Graham St., offers free bicycles to volunteers who learn bike maintenance and repair.

The nonprofit has had four previous locations in the county, all of which were temporary and rent-free.

The ReCYCLEry’s most recent location on East Main Street was a gift from the developers of the East Main project. ReCYCLEry volunteers knew they only had a year at the site but were unable to secure a new location before the lease was up in December.

While in between locations, the organization put on bike repair events at locations around the Triangle.

“We wanted to make sure everyone knew we weren’t gone,” said cofounder Rich Giorgi.

The new location comes with a rent and lends the organization a legitimacy it lacked when it did not have a permanent address, Giorgi said.

Although Saturday’s event celebrated the reopening, the ReCYCLEry has been operating in its new location since August.

“We’re moving in as if we’re going to stay awhile,” Giorgi said.

The new space, which sits behind Back Alley Bikes, has a 600-square-foot workshop inside and outdoor space for bike storage. Giorgi said the inside workspace offers the nonprofit more flexibility than it had when it was primarily outdoors.

“We were controlled by weather, mosquitoes, darkness,” Giorgi said.

Head mechanic James Steed said he hopes the accessibility of the new location will also help the ReCYCLEry bridge the gap between the number of interested volunteers and the number that the nonprofit is actually able to help. The new location is situated near a bus line and within walking distance of several neighborhoods.

“Having a significant public interest in what we’re doing has never been the problem,” Steed said.

Sivaraman said the ReCYCLEry’s new status as a nonprofit, which was formalized in the last four months, will also improve the amount of good the organization is able to do.

He said the new classification allows them to accept more donations, apply for grants and assist other nonprofits.

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