If you’ve ever wondered about the story behind the spinning bicycle wheel on South Street . . .
I wanted to start a business that also contributed to my community and the world in a positive way. Bicycles seemed like a great way to do this! I’ve been an avid cyclist since my childhood in Coronado, California, where cycling is a community pastime. In high school I enjoyed running track as well as cycling, started running barefoot, and later got into triathlons. I first learned about bicycle repair by taking a bike apart and putting it back together, with the help of a library book on bicycle repair.
I came to Boston as a Harvard undergraduate, and though I left Harvard I stayed in Boston. I’ve been biking Boston since 1973 and moved to Jamaica Plain in 1975. In 1982 I officially quit my day job and opened Ferris Wheels Bike Shop.
I’m proud of Ferris Wheels Bike Shop’s emphasis on meeting the needs of everyday cyclists, whether they are year-round commuters who need snow tires and rain gear, or if they ride their bicycles for fun on summertime weekends. Everyone who rides a bike in any capacity is a cyclist! It’s a great feeling when I can educate customers and help them become more confident and informed cyclists. We offer free educational lectures at the shop and in the community as well as more intensive hands-on courses in the workshop.
Apart from the business end of Ferris Wheels, I’ve been involved in bicycle advocacy for Boston
2001: Jeffrey tells the Mayor to get a Bike Coordinator for Boston!
and Massachusetts. I’m a member of JP Bikes, the Emerald Neckace Conservancy, and the Massachusetts Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (MABPAB) to name a few. Thanks to the community’s support for Ferris Wheels, I’m able to sponsor events including Walter’s Run, the Wake Up The Earth Festival, Matahari, Hyde Square Task Force, and organizations like Jamaica Plain Regan Youth League and the Boston Derby Dames. In 2009 I purchased Fresh Copy next door to insure that residents have a copy/fax shop in JP.
Ask me about barefoot running, surviving leukemia, being a preacher’s son and a navy brat, the bridge at Forest Hills, naked eye astronomy, guerrilla community improvement, the clock at the Unitarian church, or triathlons.
I’m proud to be a member of the Jamaica Plain community and glad to contribute to our culture of bicycle-positive urban living!