Rusty’s Bike Repair Shop
Media by Shyam Punnachalil
Rusty Willis, senior, repairs a bike for his shop. Rusty opened his shop during lockdown, when bike shops were booked.
After riding his bike all the time in the 4th grade, the inevitable happened: Rusty Willis’ bike broke. Waiting for the bike repair shop would take forever, so Willis took charge and learned how to repair his bike himself.
“I wanted to fix my bike up right then and there instead of waiting to go to the shop,” he said.
As time went on, Willis, now a senior, learned more about repairing bikes to the point where he now has the same knowledge as a bike repairman. In 7th grade, he offered to fix his friends’ bikes. From there, his service spread through word of mouth, and Willis began to fix other people’s bikes for fees.
Rusty’s Repair Shop really began during COVID-19, when he started advertising his services online to those in need because most bike shops were backed up. His prices range from $5 to $10 depending on the part that needs to be repaired and how much time he spends fixing it.
Willis said he wants to become an engineer in the future and fixing bikes has encouraged his dream.
“In order to build complex things like planes or cars, sure you need to understand the math and science behind everything, but you really need to have a sense of how things fit together and interact,” Willis said.
Russ Willis, Rusty’s father, is proud of the business Rusty has created. He said that at a young age, Rusty enjoyed playing with LEGOs.
Russ said repairing bikes will give Rusty an advantage in problem-solving, which will help him with his future.
“He doesn’t do it for the money,” Russ said. “He does it for the opportunity to succeed at a new challenge and the pride that comes with it.”
Overall, Russ said Rusty’s Repair Shop has helped Rusty grow as a person.
“Rusty loves making things better and helping people. Bike repair is just his way of doing both at the same time,” Russ said.
Over the past two years, Alison Van Bergen, Rusty’s neighbor, has had four of her household bikes fixed by Rusty. Van Bergen said she heard about his business through neighbors who have used Rusty before.
“I think Rusty’s business is wonderful,” Bergen said. “So much more reasonably priced than a big bike shop, and more convenient.”
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