Venture North Bike Walk & Coffee provides training and employment opportunities in the biking industry for under-served youth residing primarily in North Minneapolis. By teaching retail, bike repair, and bike building skills, Venture North trains youth to become the preferred employment candidates for the regional bike shop market while empowering them to be financially self-sufficient.
Formerly known as the "dead bike zone," the area of North Minneapolis in which Venture North Bike Walk & Coffee operates is being transformed into a positive development area and market opportunity zone. Venture North is creating economic, social, and environmental value in the Harrison neighborhood of North Minneapolis, providing youth with economic and educational opportunities while keeping bikes out of the landfill and encouraging the development of a Healthy Living District.
Venture North Bike Walk & Coffee provides ground-up, comprehensive retail and bike mechanic training for youth in the community. By teaching relationship skills, a full bike mechanics curriculum, customer service, and general retail operations, Venture North Bike Walk & Coffee prepares youth for future employment in the bike and retail industry. Youth interns refurbish used bikes, keeping them out of the landfill and creating affordable exercise and transportation options in their community.
The first bike shop of its kind in North Minneapolis, Venture North Bike Walk & Coffee will offer recurring 16-week bike mechanics internships and ongoing "Retail Lab" internships for youth in the community, helping under-served youth develop job skills and financial self-sufficiency while keeping bikes out of the landfill and providing exercise and transit options previously unavailable to the North Minneapolis community.
