(Aug. 10, 2017) Downtown Berlin is packed with interesting shops, galleries and restaurants, but visitors tend to overlook some attractions on the outskirts.
Several parks, including Stephen Decatur, Dr. William Henry and Berlin Falls, are all within comfortable bicycling distance, as are businesses such as Crush n Crab, Urban Nectar and Burley Oak Brewing Company, as well as the Henry Fine Arts and Random Juxtaposition art galleries.
With that in mind, Andrea Canon, also known to her many nieces and nephews as “Aunt Annie,” recently launched Aunt Annie’s Bike Rentals from the patio of HOUSE by Salvaged on 11 Artisan’s Way.
Canon runs HOUSE with business partners Brynn Byerly and Michelle Hepting, and her husband, Corey. She and Corey operate the bike rental business separately.
“We have this awesome patio and I kept thinking about other things we could be doing with it,” she said. “I was looking to add onto what we already had here at HOUSE.”
She said she initially thought of Berlin as a stopover on the way to Ocean City. Since opening the main store last spring, however, Canon realized the town had become a destination in of itself.
“One day, I was talking to a couple that asked me what they should do tonight and I was talking up Burley Oak, and they had no idea [it was even there],” Canon said. “They thought this little Main Street area was it.
“I told them it was a long walk, but me and my husband always ride our bikes there, and they said they always forget to bring their bikes when they come into town,” she added. “That night I slept on it and the next morning I woke up and thought, ‘bikes! Berlin needs bikes!”
Rentals start at $6-8 hourly. Daily rates are $20-24, three-day rentals are $50-60 and the weekly rate is $90-100, depending on the model.
New and restored, vintage cruisers are available for adults and children’s bikes can be rented, by appointment.
Hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
“If they want to bring the bikes back after our closing hours at 6 p.m., certainly we’re open to that,” Canon said. “They basically can just come in the shop, pay and fill out a short form with their information on it.
“Because it’s so new, we’re still kind of working on the hours and drop-off, but the fact we live two minutes away lets us be very flexible and do whatever works best for the customers,” she added.
Customers are given a map of the downtown and outlying areas, and Canon said she’s working to develop a more in-depth tour.
“I want to set up a Berlin bike tour and highlight the parks and everything the tourists have no idea is out there,” she said. “We certainly want to expand into that and emphasize some of the cooler areas outside of Main Street that some people might not know about.”
Canon said Crush n Crab and Urban Nectar have already agreed to offer discounts for bike-rental customers, and she’s hoping to add to that list soon.
Aunt Annie’s Bike Rentals and HOUSE by Salvaged are based just off Main Street on Artisan’s Way, behind Fins Ale House and Raw Bar and next to the municipal parking lot.
For more information or to reserve a bicycle, call 443-859-1876 or email auntanniesbikes@gmail.com.
Several parks, including Stephen Decatur, Dr. William Henry and Berlin Falls, are all within comfortable bicycling distance, as are businesses such as Crush n Crab, Urban Nectar and Burley Oak Brewing Company, as well as the Henry Fine Arts and Random Juxtaposition art galleries.
With that in mind, Andrea Canon, also known to her many nieces and nephews as “Aunt Annie,” recently launched Aunt Annie’s Bike Rentals from the patio of HOUSE by Salvaged on 11 Artisan’s Way.
Canon runs HOUSE with business partners Brynn Byerly and Michelle Hepting, and her husband, Corey. She and Corey operate the bike rental business separately.
“We have this awesome patio and I kept thinking about other things we could be doing with it,” she said. “I was looking to add onto what we already had here at HOUSE.”
She said she initially thought of Berlin as a stopover on the way to Ocean City. Since opening the main store last spring, however, Canon realized the town had become a destination in of itself.
“One day, I was talking to a couple that asked me what they should do tonight and I was talking up Burley Oak, and they had no idea [it was even there],” Canon said. “They thought this little Main Street area was it.
“I told them it was a long walk, but me and my husband always ride our bikes there, and they said they always forget to bring their bikes when they come into town,” she added. “That night I slept on it and the next morning I woke up and thought, ‘bikes! Berlin needs bikes!”
Rentals start at $6-8 hourly. Daily rates are $20-24, three-day rentals are $50-60 and the weekly rate is $90-100, depending on the model.
New and restored, vintage cruisers are available for adults and children’s bikes can be rented, by appointment.
Hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
“If they want to bring the bikes back after our closing hours at 6 p.m., certainly we’re open to that,” Canon said. “They basically can just come in the shop, pay and fill out a short form with their information on it.
“Because it’s so new, we’re still kind of working on the hours and drop-off, but the fact we live two minutes away lets us be very flexible and do whatever works best for the customers,” she added.
Customers are given a map of the downtown and outlying areas, and Canon said she’s working to develop a more in-depth tour.
“I want to set up a Berlin bike tour and highlight the parks and everything the tourists have no idea is out there,” she said. “We certainly want to expand into that and emphasize some of the cooler areas outside of Main Street that some people might not know about.”
Canon said Crush n Crab and Urban Nectar have already agreed to offer discounts for bike-rental customers, and she’s hoping to add to that list soon.
Aunt Annie’s Bike Rentals and HOUSE by Salvaged are based just off Main Street on Artisan’s Way, behind Fins Ale House and Raw Bar and next to the municipal parking lot.
For more information or to reserve a bicycle, call 443-859-1876 or email auntanniesbikes@gmail.com.