Eddy's Bike Shop in Peninsula destroyed by fire early Friday

Eddy’s Bike Shop in Peninsula destroyed by fire early Friday

Posted by author February 28, 2025 Shopping

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A bike shop was destroyed in an overnight fire in Peninsula, according to authorities.

Fire crews were called to Eddy’s Bike Shop along Main Street just before 1 a.m. Friday, with flames fully engulfing the property, according to Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland.

Authorities spent multiple hours working to get the fire under control. Firefighters are still investigating the cause and origin of the fire, News 5 Cleveland stated.

“What can we say? It’s been a long, incredibly heartbreaking night,” Eddy’s posted on its Facebook page. “Our Peninsula location caught fire and burnt to the ground. We are relieved no one was injured and are thankful for the hard work of the Valley Fire District and all the crews that spent hours battling the blaze.”

The shop, which was closed for renovations ahead of the 2025 season, is especially popular among visitors to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, conveniently located just off of a heavily biked stretch of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

History of the building

According to the Summit County Fiscal Office, the 4,000-square-foot structure was built in 1893. It was on the eastern bluff overlooking the Cuyahoga River, nestled between the Route 303 bridge and the tracks for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

Randy Bergdorf, director of the Peninsula Library & Historical Society, said the historic building has contained several businesses over the decades, including Garvey’s Saloon, Scottie’s Place, Millie’s Inn, Old School Ties, Peninsula Bridge Antiques and Century Cycles.

Century Cycles opened on Main Street in the 1990s and operated there for nearly 30 years until it closed in 2024 when Eddy’s took over the site.

Bernice Poole Bishop wrote a lineage for each of the properties in town in 1963, Bergdorf said. In Bishop’s history, she noted that Dan Garvey built the saloon in 1893 to replace a building that had burned down.

Bergdorf pointed out that the community has lost two historic buildings in a short span: The bike shop and the Peninsula Players’ Barn, which dated to the early 20th century. The village tore it down a couple of weeks ago.

This story has been updated.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ