Chris Kvale's bicycle framebuilding shop burned out in MN

[eddief]

Seen on Velocipede:

Chris Kvale's bicycle framebuilding shop https://www.chriskvalecycles.com suffered major collateral damage as a result of the May 28th, 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Fire, smoke and water ruined much of his equipment. The entire (large) building that houses his shop is likely a complete loss.

$10, $20... anything would be deeply appreciated.

We all want Chris to keep building and repairing the frames we love, so if it feels appropriate to contribute a little something to this campaign, it would be great.

Of course, physical labor will also be welcome when a site is chosen for his new headquarters!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/framebuilder-chris-kvale039s-shop?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

[e-RICHIE]

Thank you.

[gbcoupe]

Thanks for posting. Donation sent.

[superbowlpats]

Thanks. donation sent

Dave B

[Clean39T]

Thank you for setting that up - donation sent.

Anybody know if Peacock Groove is doing okay?

[Waldo]

Donated.

[fiamme red]

Very sad. He was in the Ivy Arts building. Here's a list of tenants, which includes Peacock Groove: http://www.ivyartsbuilding.com/tenants.htm.

This article mentions the fire at the building:

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/05/29/weary-from-looting-and-arson-south-minneapolis-asks-where-are-the-police

...Firefighters worked through the morning to control the fires set at Ivy Building for the Arts in the city’s Seward neighborhood. The historic building housed artists and craftspeople. Regina Marie Williams and her husband had space in the building.

Williams said her heart and spirit are broken over George Floyd’s death and what’s happened since to the city of Minneapolis.

“This is not the way I would choose to protest, destroy my own backyard and my front yard and the things that we use to keep us alive: our arts and our bars and our youth centers and our police stations,” she said. “We need these resources.”

Williams’ husband is a photographer, and 50 years of his work was stored in the building. She said they can remake some things, but others are gone forever...:(

[Clean39T]

Very sad. He was in the Ivy Arts building. Here's a list of tenants, which includes Peacock Groove: http://www.ivyartsbuilding.com/tenants.htm.

This article mentions the fire at the building:

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/05/29/weary-from-looting-and-arson-south-minneapolis-asks-where-are-the-police

:(

Finish her quote:

“And that will be OK — it’s just things,” Williams said. “What we need to recover is our humanity.”

[rustychisel]

Finish her quote:

“And that will be OK — it’s just things,” Williams said. “What we need to recover is our humanity.”

Thank you for that correction 39t.

There provided is the context which is needed by us all.

[Peter B]

I feel the need to restate this explicitly:

“What we need to recover is our humanity.”

[aingeru]

donation sent

[oldpotatoe]

I feel the need to restate this explicitly:

“What we need to recover is our humanity.”

Agree and donation sent..all around very sad..from start to now..the ugly underbelly of 'human's in the US...discouraging...

[daker13]

Donated.

[Dave M]

Donation sent.

This is so sad. All the best to Chris. I’ve only communicated with him about a second hand frameset I bought here on PL. He couldn’t have been more gracious telling me about it’s history. I was going to list it for sale (today as it turns out) to pass it along to someone that it would fit a little better, but now I think I’ll build it up. Apart from a donation, getting one of his bikes back on the road seems like a good way to show support.

[eddief]

dollar total going up fast.

[cnighbor1]

no paypal method to pay

[saab2000]

no paypal method to pay

Correct. I think that’s to avoid PP fees.

I donated and decided on a 10% fee (“tip” is their language) which helps cover the costs of their site. I assume it’s a for-profit site but I think it’s worthy in many cases.

I used my own card number. I’ve not heard of security breaches with Go Fund Me.

[mcteague]

The forum across the hall has an e-mail from Chris. Reading that, it appears much of what he had in the shop is just wet and will survive when dried out and cleaned up. Still, he may just stop his business depending on what the building owners do.

https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f2/lets-support-chris-kvale-54711.html

Tim

[weiwentg]

Erik Noren of Peacock Groove is also in that building, and IMO he would also deserve our support if he or someone asked. I haven’t seen him post recently on social media, however. I’m not aware of a crowdfunding deal for him.

[weisan]

Your caring contributions have overwhelmed Chris. He would like to express his humble gratitude for the participation and kind comments.

For more than 35 years Chris and his wife have lived and worked in South Minneapolis where the rioting and violence has hit the hardest. The Third Precinct, the first police station burned, recovered his stolen bike last winter. Many businesses in the area are owned by his neighbors and he knows many personally. His losses will be covered by insurance, but the destruction here will take years and a lot of money to heal. He would like to donate your contributions to local organizations to help begin this long process.

Stay tuned for more updates..

[pbarry]

Class act right there.

I can’t imagine trying to dry out machine tools, tubing, wet paint cans with the labels coming off..

[Dino Suegiù]

no paypal method to pay

Correct. I think that’s to avoid PP fees.

I donated and decided on a 10% fee (“tip” is their language) which helps cover the costs of their site. I assume it’s a for-profit site but I think it’s worthy in many cases.

I used my own card number. I’ve not heard of security breaches with Go Fund Me.

GoFundMe is definitely for-profit, and they make a lot of money, even without "tips". It is considered "PayPal for causes"; the "payment processing fees" are exactly the same as PayPal (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), which are not insignificant. In these times, GFM is doing very well.

Right now, the Chris Kvale contributions total $8570.00, by 108 different donors.
GFM 2.9% fee = $8570.00 x 0.029 = $248.53
GFM transaction fees = $0.30 x 108 = $32.40
GFM total fees (on current $8570) = $280.93

Since their founding in 2010, GFM has processed over $9B from over 120 million donors; this company is a substantial profiteer.

None of these facts are meant as criticism of GFM, just elucidation. Personally I would rather/try to send people a check if I can, as I am not wealthy and so that my contribution goes 100% to those in even more need, but that is not always possible and regardless for many others immediate GFM convenience is worth their cut.

[Dino Suegiù]

Erik Noren of Peacock Groove is also in that building, and IMO he would also deserve our support if he or someone asked. I haven’t seen him post recently on social media, however. I’m not aware of a crowdfunding deal for him.
+ 1.
Absolutely.

[paulh]

Erik Noren of Peacock Groove is also in that building, and IMO he would also deserve our support if he or someone asked. I haven’t seen him post recently on social media, however. I’m not aware of a crowdfunding deal for him.

I saw a mention from a friend that Erik had moved out of the Ivy Building some months ago..... don't know where. Website not updated.

Also for those familiar with Minneapolis, Flanders Bros. Bike Shop over on Lyndale was also broken into and looted.

[mjbrekke]

Anyone know if the Vincent Dominguez also listed in Ivy Arts is the framebuilder? A search yields some conflicting info, but there is one reference to him (and one other person) sharing space with Peacock Groove at some time. I saw Vincent’s early work about a decade ago in Ivy Arts and it was breathtaking.

[nobuseri]

A little late to the party, but I hope my donation will help all the same.

[e-RICHIE]

Folks following should be aware of this change.



Your caring contributions have overwhelmed Chris. He would like to express his humble gratitude for the participation and kind comments.

For more than 35 years Chris and his wife have lived and worked in South Minneapolis where the rioting and violence has hit the hardest. The Third Precinct, the first police station burned, recovered his stolen bike last winter. Many businesses in the area are owned by his neighbors and he knows many personally. His losses will be covered by insurance, but the destruction here will take years and a lot of money to heal. He would like to donate your contributions to local organizations to help begin this long process.

[edward12]

Mr. Kvale is a class act. Donating the contributions to local organizations is very cool. If he resumes building, I will order a frame.

[Clean39T]

Mr. Kvale is a class act. Donating the contributions to local organizations is very cool. If he resumes building, I will order a frame.

I will endeavor to do the same. Having been to slow on Rolland (RIP) and TK, I don't want to make the same mistake thrice..

[stephenmarklay]

Seen on Velocipede:

Chris Kvale's bicycle framebuilding shop https://www.chriskvalecycles.com suffered major collateral damage as a result of the May 28th, 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Fire, smoke and water ruined much of his equipment. The entire (large) building that houses his shop is likely a complete loss.

$10, $20... anything would be deeply appreciated.

We all want Chris to keep building and repairing the frames we love, so if it feels appropriate to contribute a little something to this campaign, it would be great.

Of course, physical labor will also be welcome when a site is chosen for his new headquarters!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/framebuilder-chris-kvale039s-shop?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1


Oh wow. How horrible. Thank you for posting this.

[tomato coupe]

Deleted

[Blue Jays]

Oh, no! This is terrible news.
Best wishes for Mr. Kvale. :-(

[Louis]

Modest donation sent.

About 10 years ago Chris repainted a frame for me, and was a super guy to deal with.

Best of luck to him recovering from this.

[e-RICHIE]

Site updated.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/framebuilder-chris-kvale039s-shop?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1


In the midst of the nightly violence that ultimately led to the damage at Chris’s shop, I jumped the gun and moved forward with this GoFundMe campaign without Chris’s permission, and without knowing whether insurance would cover his losses. In the process, I unwittingly mislead donors. For this I am sorry.

So, the decision has been made to immediately end the campaign and return everyone’s donations. GoFundMe says that refunds will be processed in 3-7 days

The good news is that his insurance is there for him.

If you still want to help small businesses and community organizations along Lake Street recover from this tragedy, Chris urges you to visit this site:

https://www.welovelakestreet.com

[Tommy Mac]

Chris is the only builder remaining in the Ivy building - Erik Noren and Dominguez are no longer there. Chris is distressed but waiting to see what happens with the building.

[jkbrwn]

Errrrrrrrr mods?

[Blue Jays]

Curt Goodrich had his shop in a really sweet building with lots of assorted craftsmen in that area.
Unsure if it was exactly that same Ivy Building shared in original news coverage or not. Really cool spot.

[unterhausen]

Errrrrrrrr mods?
did you report it? That's how you contact a mod, not by making a post

[kingpin75s]

Curt Goodrich had his shop in a really sweet building with lots of assorted craftsmen in that area.
Unsure if it was exactly that same Ivy Building shared in original news coverage or not. Really cool spot.

Curt was over in NE Minneapolis.

It is an artist community area and some cool craftsmen in the same building. I had the Butcher Block guys from there build me counters from Red Flame Birch recovery wood pulled from the bottom of lake Superior. Cool stuff.

[jkbrwn]

did you report it? That's how you contact a mod, not by making a post

Thanks. New here. Didn't notice that button.

[Blue Jays]

"...It is an artist community area and some cool craftsmen in the same building. I had the Butcher Block guys from there build me counters from Red Flame Birch recovery wood pulled from the bottom of lake Superior. Cool stuff..."
That sounds like a terrific project. Awesome! Really artistic people in that general area.

[kingpin75s]

did you report it? That's how you contact a mod, not by making a post

I appreciate the mods removing that post quickly. As the one person on this forum who lives on Lake St. in Minneapolis, I would not be able to let those statements stand. I held my response knowing this place generally handles these things well. Thank you PL Mods.

[Bruce K]

Just a reminder -

None of us moderators are here 24/7 and there may be gaps (though generally small) in “coverage”. Frankly, we don’t all read every post either. :eek:

We try to get to these things as quickly as we can but, as was stated above, reporting a post is generally the quickest way to get us to check on something specific.

Lately, we have been getting reports through Tapatalk and so far, every one has appeared to be someone accidentally hitting the Tapatalk report button. If you are going to use the report feature, please make sure to include the reason you are reporting the post - it helps us sort things out.

BK