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Interview with Brad from WNW
November 17, 2009
Since STAGES in NYC launched last month, WNW has been of its most vital and active extensions, providing a physical space for downtown NYC folk to meet and greet at the intersection of the art and cycling communities.
We decided to sit down with the man who’s been responsible day in and day out for making it happen, Brad Baker, to find out what it’s been like since his LES bike shop, Trackstar, has been transformed into the companion to the STAGES art show.
Hey Brad. Tell us a little bit about Trackstar.
Trackstar is an urban-oriented bike shop in the Lower East Side. We specialize in track bikes and bike messenger equipment. We also own and run a courier service. Both the shop and the courier service started at the same time, in 2003.How did you get involved with STAGES?
We’ve done some projects with Kyle and DQM in the past, and then Kyle approached us to do something like create a space. It coincided with us renovating Trackstar, so it worked out really well. I think we only had to push our renovation back a week or two in order to create WNW.What’s been going on at WNW since it opened?
We’ve been running a community center and event space. We have classes taught by mechanics like wheelbuilding, headset installation, basic welding, stuff like that. We’ve also had some events like a film screening, a couple parties, group rides across the boroughs, and people always just hanging out here. ‘Happy Hour Fridays’ have been very popular here among the messenger community of NYC.What do your regulars think of the transformation into WNW?
They think it’s cool. Most of them walk in and say, “Where is everything?” But then they come back for the classes and the Friday cocktails.How do you think it’s gone so far?
People have talked about it a lot, the space has gotten a lot of good reception. We get a lot of people coming in checking it out, people who might not have come in before. Some come in to check out the artist saddles and the new Nike Air Zoom Tiempos we have displayed.Anything you’re looking forward to before WNW closes up?
I hope Lance comes.
