Citybikes is ending. Slowly and painfully.

Citybikes, which hasn't been a workers cooperative in some time, is on its final march to the sea.

The Annex building sold a few weeks ago. Three people will become quite comfortable from that sale after all the bills are paid, at the expense of the many former co-owners whose hard work built the business over the last thirty years.
The original location posts hours but does not always honor them.
Today, I found that the web site is down, with only this written in tiny font at the top:

"Please come back later."

Yeah, no.

Is it the fault of the folks who wrote the by-laws back in 1990, and who never created a plan for closing down the business and distributing assets fairly to all former owners? Perhaps, though to be fair they never anticipated an outcome like this when they created an egalitarian workers' cooperative. They were young and a little naive, and everyone who signed on to be part of the co-op was in agreement about sharing resources and profits for the greater good. Most of those people are in their sixties or older now, and the younger generations just aren't buying into peace, love and understanding in the same way. They want what's theirs while there's still a world to spend it in.

Is it the fault of the three younger co-owners, who came on in the years after I left, who forced out (and literally locked out) the fourth remaining co-owner when he wanted to keep the co-op going, and who found a lawyer to be their pit bull against all the outcry? Sure it is. They could have handled this with a lot more maturity and patience, but instead they chose to cash out and take what they could while they could as quickly as they could. Is this indicative of an entire generation of small business owners? No, but it sure does tell me where their values lie. Generationally speaking they're only playing to type.
That doesn't bode well for the future of worker-owned co-ops in general in this country.

Is it the result of trying to run an idealistic co-op in a capitalist economy?
Absolutely. You cannot simultaneously buy into the cooperative ideal and check your self-interest at the door in the United States. It simply cannot be done. The balance will always tilt towards self-interest, and stronger personalities will always prevail against quieter ones. Sorry. This is America and it comes with bags and bags of self-interest woven into its DNA.

There is not one guilty party here.

But when I left in 2012, I knew that after my ownership share was paid back to me, I'd never see another dime. So I left with a clear conscience. Whatever would happen after my departure was not mine to worry about.

Although I no longer worked in a bike shop -- or full time -- ever again, and my personal finances have never been as steady, I dodged a huge bullet by walking away when I did. The longer this collapse takes, the more I see that every day.

I predict that Citybikes will close for good by Christmas.

Hopefully, I'll still be riding a bicycle.

No hard feelings, kids.