- Minh Tran
- Recyclery owner Robby Fenstermaker: Mad about business, calls me fat.
I reported in March that local bike shop the Recyclery had broken the law in the past and potentially sold stolen bikes and parts… Jonathan Maus over at BikePortland.org reports that the SE Madison and Ladd’s Addition branches of the troubled bike shop are closed. Though the consensus is that owner Robby Fenstermasker has cleaned up his act on the legal front in recent years, eight of the nine former Recyclery employees I interviewed said they had experienced significant personality problems with Fenstermaker.
Maus asked Fenstermaker about shuttering two of his four stores and the aggrieved owner’s response is telling:
Fenstermaker blamed a severe downturn in business due to coverage on BikePortland.org and in The Portland Mercury back in March about allegations that he knowingly sold stolen goods. Fenstermaker called the coverage “a bunch of bullsh***” that was written without checking the story with him first. “It totally hurt my business.” When I tried to apologize for any negative consequences my stories might have caused, he said, “Sorry doesn’t do me s***, have a good day,” and abruptly hung up the phone.
We received a similar love note in June after a Mercury ad rep emailed Fenstermaker to see if he wanted to advertise in our Bike Issue. From his reply email:
I refuse to do any advertising with your paper. The slander piece sara (thunder thighs) mirk wrote on my business and her personal attack on my character have done the job well. I will be closing some of my locations because of the reckless use of your paper.
What can I say? He’s got a talent with words.
Calling a reporter fat in the same sentence he bemoans personal attacks is really something special.
Selling stolen stuff is a story. The fact that a local businessman has a prickly personality isn’t really a story.
It’s not just the media saying your store stinks, Fenstermaker. My bicycling friends all have negative things to say about the Recyclery. I’ve heard of overpriced bikes and parts, bad advice and service, plus there’s just too many *good* shops in Portland to support!
And “thunderthighs”? What a juvenile comment. Way to be a sexist asshole. I won’t ever consider entering again your stores again.
Wow, throwing in irrelevant sexist insults into your media communications is a great way to establish yourself as a credible business owner. Well done, sir.
Yep. I remember reading that article and going…so..he maybe, possibly did sell stolen bike parts in the past but doesn’t now and there is no hard evidence he ever did beyond disgruntled employees who didn’t like him, and this is a reason to run a piece that will shut this guys business down? Keep up those journalistic “standards” Mercury!
Did you really mean to call him “Fenstermasker” in the 2nd sentence?
I should also add the guy sounds like an a complete asshole and isn’t doing himself any favors but that story was irresponsible and would have failed a intro to journalism “how to source your story” examination.
Here is hoping Sarah posts some images of her thighs so we can objectively decide if this accusation is true…
@ Blabby, I’m definitely interested in “local businessman is a douchebag” stories. I don’t like supporting douchebags, and I’ll avoid asshole small businesses the same way I avoid asshole mega-corporations.
In conclusion, douchebag asshole.
Good Riddance Recyclery!
@Blabby and @HipsterDouchesMustDie,
We normally don’t delve into an owner’s personality in a story about legal allegations against a business, but I included discussions of Fenstermaker’s personality in the article and in this post for two reason. First of all, his personal difficulties with employees help explain the anonymous posters and internet rumors about his business selling stolen bikes. Secondly, it helps explain why the Recyclery has a high rate of employee turnover.
Wait! What about my nickname!? Sarah “Lightning Arms” Mirk is way better!
No shop closes because of one article in an alt-weekly. You’ll find the likely answer two stories down from the Recyclery headline on BikePortland. Fifty six bike shops in Portland? The competition eventually weeds out the pricks.
Thunder thighs? Phhh. Robby better keep biking harder. Metabolism only slows with age and looks like he’s a mere stint of inactivity away from developing some nice man boobs.
Unless Sarah has gained a lot of weight recently, I think his comment on her thighs is probably about as accurate as his impressions of the true ownership history of his merchandise.
In any case, I’m not sure the piece did any harm to his operation, “used bicycle store sells stolen equipment sometimes” is barely news in the first place. The problem is that if you buy a used bicycle around here there is a good chance it was stolen, it doesn’t matter if you buy it from a shop or off craigslist. People don’t report their bicycles stolen, and even when they do, most of them don’t know the serial number so nobody can tell one from another. And thieves know this, which is why bicycles get stolen so often. And then some of those thieves would sell it to this guy and yes, he’d check to see if it was reported, (now,) but if it wasn’t and it was a nice bicycle for a good price then he’d buy it and resell it. Almost any used bicycle shop is going to have a similar problem, it is just that he is the biggest so his got the article.
I saw Mirk on the street today and I noticed nothing that I would describe as “thunderous”.
Thunder thighs, seriously? That is neither original or creative. In fact, I think it has kind of a sexy connotation, just sayin’.
@ TSW: Agreed.
Because of my high, high integrity, I refrained from calling Mr. Fenstermaker “Adolf Titler.”
I actually have had pretty good dealings with the recyclery. No complaints here.
But “thunder thighs”? That’s a compliment! They call ‘um thunder thighs because when you see them, you get a jolt of electricity right to the loins…mmm…thunder thighs…
When James “Robbie” Fenstermaker called the predominately smirking Sarah Mirk “Thunder Thighs” did he not realize he himself is an overweight individual with man boobs big enough to justify a support bra?
Anyone curious, can got to the City of Portland’s Business Lookup feature and read for themselfs that The Recyclery appears to be out of compliance with city regulations.
Not to encourage an off topic tangent, but I second “econoline” and “bvron”‘s comments above.
Ironically, your article may have softened my opinion of the Recyclery. Before reading it, I had seen flyers stapled to telephone poles along SE Belmont accusing the place of fencing stolen bikes. The Mercury article provided more information and context, including putting the illegal bullshit in the past tense. I felt mild twinges of empathy for the guy. Not any more.
The Ladds branch always looked super-light on customer traffic looooong before the article came out. And rent there ain’t cheap.
The rest just sounds like sour, assholish grapes.
Hey, these are the type of “Thunder Thighs” bicyclist have:
http://www.nike.com/nikewomen/us/v2/media/…
I just blame shitty service.
Colin,
As always, I appreciate your magnanimity. Likening Fenstermaker’s appearance and alleged demeanor to that of a dictator is wrong. Therefore I’d like to raise and dismiss any and all tags of him as “Benito Moobsolini.”
The guy calls a female reporter fat IN WRITING to HER NEWSPAPER in the same sentence as claiming his character has been unfairly attacked.
The news-relevant follow up is obvious. But his epic idiocy and the implosion of his business make it almost too entertaining… it’s… oh god… it’s Infotainment!
[COMMENT DELETED: GENERAL CREEPINESS.
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Is ‘thunder thighs’ even an insult? They sound kind of awesome!
This placed screwed me royal a few years ago. Service was terrible. Bike had to be brought back 6 times before it worked properly. Good Riddance!!!!!!!!!!!!