Fifty years ago, The Bike Rack was purchased by the Honeyman family. The anniversary of this St. Charles institution marks more than the creation of a community resource: It’s a celebration of family working together, building memories and making a positive difference.

The shop’s story starts in 1975, when Hal Honeyman approached his parents, Dale and Nancy, about buying the business. The building was just an empty shell in a cornfield, but the couple saw its promise. Today, The Bike Rack is part of a bustling business district. It’s owned by Hal, his mother, his sister Tammy and brother Lance. It’s grown beyond a traditional cycling shop that includes adaptive bikes for those with disabilities and Project Mobility, a charity that introduces those bikes to people with disabilities and gifts them to those who can’t afford them.

Everyone agrees that what makes The Bike Rack special is that it’s always been a family operation. From five decades ago, when Dale and Nancy helped the kids run the shop, to today, when their great-grandchildren help, the Honeymans have always worked together to make a difference in their community.

At an emotional anniversary event in May at The Bike Rack, Mayor Clint Hull remembered traveling to what was then “the country” to buy his first bike and said that when he thinks of The Bike Rack, the words that come to mind are “family” and “heart.” He also noted when people think of a bike store, they think of The Bike Rack.

Longtime employee Mike Swanson grew up with Hal, Tammy and Lance — their parents had been high school friends. After retiring, he said, “It seemed natural to help at the store. I don’t consider myself a huge bicycle enthusiast, but I really enjoy working at the shop. It has a fun atmosphere and great camaraderie. Not a day goes by that I’m not laughing at something.”

Josh Luce, territory manager for Trek Bikes, added a memory of his first encounter with Nancy Honeyman 16 years earlier. She told him, “Google Hal to see what he does.” He found “story after story about this amazing store getting people on bikes that otherwise couldn’t get on bikes.” He said the experience gave him chills and that he’s still amazed at the good work The Bike Rack does.

Hal Honeyman speaks fondly of his father working in the store until he passed away four years ago, and of his mother who at 88 still works at The Bike Rack most days.

When asked what The Bike Rack means to them, Tammy’s daughters Katherine Reda and Melissa Burke reflected on their longtime involvement. Katherine recalls selling lemonade and cookies with Hal’s daughters, Clare and Emily, at the shop. Today, she’s the event director for Project Mobility, and her daughters, Cali and Shelby, ages 4 and 6 years, are planning their own fundraising lemonade stand to raise money for Project Mobility. Tammy calls her grandchildren her little fundraisers, following in their mom’s footsteps.

“It’s been awesome growing up as part of The Bike Rack crew! It was so special to work and learn from my grandma about everything from bikes and bike safety to customer service, hard work and true kindness,” Melissa said. ”The Bike Rack holds a special place in my heart.”

Tammy said, “My mom and dad taught us the importance of giving back, though as kids we didn’t fully understand. Now here we are, with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren already wanting to do this. What can I say? Fifty years of working with your parents … the pride that I have, that I can say they were my mom and dad, and I got to work by their side with my children and my grandchildren. It’s very special.”

At the celebration, many hoped The Bike Rack would be run by the Honeyman family long into the future. “It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years … It feels like we just started yesterday," Hal said. “I’m grateful to have been an integral part of St. Charles for so long. The biggest thing is that we’ve been able to give back to the community the way we have. We know folks in St Charles appreciate the positive difference we’re making and hope they’ll keep supporting us and our efforts so we can continue our mission for the next 50 years.”

It’s most appropriate that the last word on The Bike Rack’s 50th anniversary comes from Nancy Honeyman who, together with her husband, made the store possible for the Honeyman family. When asked her thoughts about having worked with her children for all these years, and now with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she simply says, “It’s been wonderful. Just wonderful.”