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3VLOG: Skidmark Garage provides DIY community concept for bikers

Skidmark is a community DIY garage where members get all the tools needed to work on their own bikes.

Brian Schaffran is the owner of Skidmark Garage.

Located at 5401 Hamilton Ave., Skidmark is a community DIY garage where members get all the tools needed to work on their own bikes. Members can also store bikes in the garage.

Schaffran says the idea was borne out of his own experience. He bought his first bike, a 1978 CB750K in 2000. Schaffran found most bike mechanics were reluctant to work on older models. So with a set of tools and some basic experience in tearing things apart and putting them back together again; Schraffan found himself doing bike work at his home. Soon friends started showing up to join him.

"I was fixing it myself and realized after hanging out with my friends all night in my garage working, what if I turned it into a business and everyone got to hang out with their friends?" Schaffran said.

The first Skidmark Garage opened in the Hildebrandt Provision Building in Cleveland. It has since moved to its current location in the Hamilton Collaborative on Cleveland's east side.

The 10,000 square foot space includes about twenty bike bays, each with a wide array of tools, supplies and safety equipment. Membership means you can store your bike there too, instead of tucking stuffing it in a home garage.

"That's the beauty of membership, is that (the bike) is not sitting in your kitchen," Schaffran said.

Different memberships are available, from hourly rental to monthly or yearly plans.

Skidmark Garage also boasts a lounge with bar and pool table, which lends to the community feel.

Most important, according to Schaffran, is the all-inclusive credo that makes Skidmark a garage for anyone: men, women, rich, poor, 20-something, 60-something, experienced, rookie. Schaffran calls his vision for Skidmark, a "no-collar" community that thrives as members help each other, listening to tunes and riding together.

Skidmark is open seven days a week, hours vary.

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