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But there is a Ms. Siem helping Ms.
Harvey with the repair work. Two years ago,
Caryle Siem bought out James' partnership,
after working for four years as an auto
mechanic and in office equipment repair.
"I was interested in working with women,"
said Siem. "And after working at the shop
for a year, Jean expressed an interest in
selling her partnership and I was really happy
to buy it."
Harvey added, "We didn’t want to sell to
just anyone. We wanted someone who
would carry on with the spirit of the
business."
When asked to describe that spirit, Harvey
said, "We're more service-oriented than
retail-oriented. We give advice and make
sure the bikes are in the best possible
condition when they leave here. We keep our
priorities on good service and less frills."
Nine years of good service has brought
Dancers' good business. In keeping with
their spirit of good scrivce, Harvey and Siem
have just returned from a week-long intensive
Managers/Mechanics Workshop at the New
England Cycling Academy. The opening of
other bike shops in the neighborhood has not
hurt them, said Harvey.
"We're more cooperative than
competitive. Where you get the best deal is
where you get the best service. Our
customers are serious cyclists who commute
on their bikes, and people who just ride for
fun. We have one woman who rides all over
town on a one-speed. We've recently
expanded our services and stock to
concentrate on people who try to ride all year
long."
There's No
"Mr. Dancer"
Here
"It has to do with the feeling you get when
you're riding a bike, when you're really
enjoying it. It's like dancing," says Barbara
Harvey, co-owner of Dancers' Bicycle Shop,
explaining how the shop was named. Nine
years ago in August 1979, she and Jean James
opened Dancers' "with half the current space,
three bikes, and a box of parts." The face of
Little Five Points was quite different then.
"It was a little scary at first. There was the
Pub and Charis, and then a few months later,
Eat Your Vegetables opened. You hardly
ever saw kids then. I remember when the
kids first started showing up, it was like
'Wow! There are children in this
neighborhood!"'
As an openly lesbian-owned business,
Dancers' has found acceptance on the
alternative track of Little Five Points,
according to Harvey.
"We've had a lot of good neighborhood
support from the beginning. People were
curious. Mostly they were surprised that
women were running the shop. There was
this mindset that there must be a man in the
back room doing all the work. Finally people
figured out that there was no Mr. Dancer."
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Dancers’ co-owners Barbara Harvey and Carlye Seim.
Being woman-owned and operated
makes Dancers' especially sensitive to the
needs of women cyclists. The shop is the
premiere dealer of bicycles built for women
in the Southeast, according to Siem.
"Women have been ignored as cyclists
and customers. They really get a bum deal
in most bike shops, second-rate service. We
emphasize having a range of bike sizes for
women," said Harvey.
Dancers' spirit of service extends beyond
the shop itself. They are the contact people
for "Bikes Not Bombs For Nicaragua," a
group based in Washington, D.C., and they
have actively promoted the Women's
Cycling Network based in Chicago, Illinois.
"We recently sent three used bikes to
Nicaragua for health workers. A bike there
is like an auto here as far as transportation.
We want to do more in the future. We've
just gotten started with this," explained
Siem.
In April 1987, Dancers' also promoted
the first conference of the Women's Cycling
Network. Siem was the coordinator. Over
100 women from around the country
attended, but ironically, this is one time
Dancers' encountered homophobia.
"Homophobia, big time," said Siem.
"Athletes get very homophobic because
they're so often taken for homosexuals.
We're still quietly speaking with the
Network. But they like our energy when
we're in the closet"
We at Southern Voice like Dancers' energy
just the way it is. Their spirit has enriched
our community for a decade. Happy
Birthday, Dancers'.
-Pamela J. Cole
|i The Little 5 Points section covers \
f the news, events and people of \
f this community, gay or straight - |i
| always different, always special j;
| A |
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PAMELA J. COLE