TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — One of Tallahassee’s newest cooperatives is helping nonprofits move their missions forward. Recreational Equipment Inc., known as REI, recently opened in Northeast Tallahassee. Now, they’re working to help local nonprofits keep people moving and keep our waterways clean.
“It’s better than riding in a car. I’ve traveled across the country,” said John Darwin. He is a newcomer to the big bend. He said he biked to Tallahassee, “all the way from Houston.” Darwin said he got hit by a car in the fall of 2022. That’s when he turned to the Bicycle House off FAMU Way for help finding some new wheels.
“This is a gold mine,” Darwin said about the bike shop. “This is something I dreamed of having.”
“Our mission is to provide affordable transportation to people in need. We do that with bicycles,” explained Cassie McGlynn, director at Bicycle House. She said the nonprofit has been around for about 12 years, funded by Scott Benton, his family and people who live in Tallahassee.
When asked how big of a need for bike transportation there is in Tallahassee, McGlynn responded, “it’s huge. We get a new client every day we’re open.”
Now, they’re getting a boost from REI in the form of a $10,000 grant.
“That $10,000 goes directly into the people’s transportation,” McGlynn explained. “We’re helping offset the need for affordable transportation in our community.”
Chelsea Vensel manages the new REI store in the Market Square Shopping Center.
“Things have been going really amazing,” Vensel said.
REI’s doors opened in November.
“It’s just wonderful to give to such worthy organizations that are doing such important work in the community,” Vensel added.
Bicycle House isn’t the only nonprofit getting a boost from the business.
Georgia Ackerman is Executive Director of Apalachicola Riverkeeper. They’re also getting $10,000 to further their mission.
“For nearly 25 years, we’ve been working to protect and restore Florida’s largest river by volume of flow,” Ackerman said. “Rivers (are) being protected for long term. They should be here hundreds and hundreds of years after us. It’s really important that we take care of it.”
They work to monitor quality and remove pollution from this important part of North Florida’s ecosystem. They are following through with their passion to give back just like the volunteers back at Bicycle House are working to help people like Darwin get back on their bikes.
Over the last five years, the co-op has invested more than $430,000 in charitable causes. During REI’s grand opening in Tallahassee, proceeds from coffee mug sales went to the Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association, which is a local, member-driven club protecting access to trails and advocating for new trail development.
