Currey's Bicycle Shop



Currey's Bicycle Shop was another Charleston Icon that no one of the era will ever forget.  The
shop was situated at 1105 West Washington Street for the time period that most of us remember.
But the shop started out in several locations,  including Central Ave near the RR bridge.




Nobody had the selection that Currey had.  It was the ULTIMATE bicycle shop of it's day.





Here's Bill.  Notice the new "Sting Ray" bikes, one of Schwinns most successful bicycles. I owned one myself.

See larger picture HERE









The shop on W. Washington Street in the 1940s



A gang of boys outside the shop on Central Ave.  Gotta love the hats.

This bike is one among many specialty bikes Dad built over the years. Did you know he also invented the modern day Mountain Bike?  He designed and built the four seater as we call it while in high school in the NEW Stonewall High School class of 42. The welding is pretty crude but the engineering of the bikes four cranks and chains is a marvel. The bike has appeared in picture stories in Time Magazine, all the Bike publications and nearly every paper in WV. Dad was a super promoter and I grew up riding the bike with others in parades from Charleston to Columbus. Those pictured in the photo are: Bicycle Bill Currey, and his five sisters: Casey Stribling, Susan Rock, Bobby Tabor and in the wagon Ruthann Taylor and Betty Layne. I have the bike in my collection of antiques. Bill Curry

In this photo for the “Bike Safety Parade,” we see (left to right) Gordon Sutler, Ed Fisher, Carl Dean and Adam Carpenter, who worked for Currey at the time.

Currey (left) and Iva Currey  winning top sales award from Schwinn Company

Bill Currey II at about age 5 on a CZ Motorcycle.  His dad was considered the best spoke lacer in the business.  Not only did he do bicycle wheels, but also cars and motorcycles. This photo taken around 1949 on Central Ave. where the shop operated for a time.  Here is the same building.

 

This is me on my Schwinn Corvette purchased at Currey's around 1958.  Photo taken in the City Park.
Can you believe this bike had stainless steel fenders?  It was THE best bike in the world to me.

Bill  Moved the shop from Washington Street in the mid 70s.  He relocated to Nitro where he continued doing business until the mid 80s. The store was then sold to another owner.

The above article courtesy of the Daily Mail ,  1953





Most photos courtesy of the Bill Currey Collection

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