Business of the Month: Waterfront Bicycle Shop, 391 West Street

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Flann O’Brien’s surreal masterpiece The Third Policeman posits a theory whereby frequent bicycle riding causes an exchange of atoms between rider and bicycle making the rider more bicycle-like and the bicycle more human-like. Whether or not science bears this out, the theory probably rings true to many a regular cyclist. That’s why easy access to a good bicycle repair shop seems so indispensable to bicycles and riders—a place to turn to when feeling a little under the weather. Luckily for Villagers, there is our April Business of the Month, Waterfront Bicycle Shop (391 West Street, btw. W. 10th St. and Christopher St.), which since 2009 has met all our bicycle repair needs and offered bike rentals for those of us still easing our way into bicycle-human fusion. 

Christian Farrell started pedicabbing by Central Park during the early 2000s, back when it was still a gentlemanly hustle that got you in shape without subjecting you to the sonic blast of a night-club-style speaker system. But a hustle is still a hustle, and, after a couple of years, Christian had had enough and pivoted to renting bikes to Central Park visitors. He relied on a network of former pedicab-colleagues for advertisement, and business was good, until it wasn’t. The Central Park Conservancy started to hire large operators to take over the bike rental operation in the park, and Christian, seeing the writing on the wall, decided to move his operation south, by the Hudson River bike path. And Central Park’s loss became our gain. 

Waterfront Bicycle Shop launched in 2009, shortly after a beloved repair shop on Morton Street closed down, and breathed new life into a space within the Weehawken Street Historic District that had been empty for years. Christian’s timing and choice of location was propitious for his bike rental operation. The High Line had just opened, drawing tourists to the westernmost edge of the neighborhood; and the final links of the Hudson River Park bike lane were just months from completion and about to offer an unparalleled way to take in views of the Hudson River from the southern tip of Manhattan all the way up to the George Washington Bridge. But Christian Farrell now also had an entire neighborhood’s worth of cyclists all around him as well as the steady stream of them shooting up and down past his front door. Any of them could find themselves in need of mechanical repairs. So he expanded the store’s capacity to offer those and also added some retail merchandise. Before long, the business had become a lifeline for Hudson River Park cyclists and had developed a regular clientele from among the local community. 

COVID proved an unexpected boon for Waterfront Bicycle Shop, as neighbors dug up long unused bicycles from their basements, or procured used ones, and brought them to Christian for a tune-up or repairs. But what the pandemic giveth it taketh away. Disruptions to supply chains, combined with a spike in demand, made parts increasingly hard to come by. In addition, the widespread turn toward e-commerce started to undermine the store’s retail business. And on top of that, tourism plummeted, making a dent in its rental business. The rising popularity of the rapidly expanding (and increasingly pedal-assisted) Citibike service didn’t help. 

The challenges of running a bicycle rental and repair business like Christian’s make the enterprise a bit of a gamble. Every season—because this is, after all, a seasonal business—Christian buys product on term and hopes that it will work out. Thus far, it has, and every season, he keeps showing up!  And while Christian remains very much mindful of his business risks, he still holds out hope that the long-term promise of the bike-lane and bike-share networks will bear fruit, engendering a virtuous cycle between a more hospitable cycling environment and more cyclists, and reaching the levels and quality of bipedalism that more advanced cities enjoy. In the meantime, however, he still finds great fulfillment in the space he has carved out for himself in the community:

This is sort of like a bar. You get a rapport going with people. It’s nice. New York is full of interesting people. And you get to help them out in a moment of need. So that’s great. I’m useful. That’s also nice. You like to complete a task and feel like you’ve done it, and people give you feedback on whether it’s successful. 

Christian’s feelings are reciprocated by his customers. One regular reports: 

I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them. Waterfront Bicycle Shop stands as one of the last bastions of the neighborhood’s true character. Plus it’s our last bicycle repair shop. Let’s support them! Every time I walk in there, I feel like I’m home. They’re not just keeping our bicycles on the road—they’re keeping the wheels of our community turning.

For keeping our wheels turning since 2009, we’re thrilled to name Waterfront Bicycle Shop our April 2026 Business of the Month.

What special small business would you like to see featured next? Just click here to nominate our next one. Thank you! #shoplocalnyc

Here is a map of all our Businesses of the in Month: