The Shorthorn - Student opens shop to bring community closer

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Student opens shop to bring community closer

Written by John Harden, The Shorthorn senior staff

Monday, 08 February 2010 10:33 PM

Art history junior Eleanor Hernandez rearranges vinyl records Saturday in the common room of the Arlington Info Shop. (The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran)

Donated bike frames and tires lay scattered in a garage behind the home of art history sophomore Eleonor Hernandez.

Hernandez collects donated bike parts from students and residents as a part of a non-profit project called the Arlington Info Shop.

Hernandez and other members, who run the project out of Hernandez’s garage, collect bike donations and give students the chance to build a custom bike for rent only.

“You come into the shop, pick a frame and tires and you can build your own bike,” she said.

The shop started idealistically for students, but grew into a service the whole community could use.

Two years ago when Hernandez moved to Arlington, she realized the city lacked a sense of community and the shop was created out of necessity for community projects.

Arlington Info Shop

Where: 1127 S. Davis
Arlington, Texas 76013
Weekday hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Weekend Hours: 11 a.m. -7 p.m.
http://www.myspace.com/267107067

“When I moved to Arlington there wasn’t a place where I could find information on the town,” she said. “I only found information on commercial events that everyone knew about. I was looking for the real culture, but I didn’t find anything.”

The shop’s name comes from the idea that Arlington residents deserve to have a place to learn about their local community.

Beyond the bike lending, the info shop has a bigger purpose. It’s about building a community based on working together to help others, she said.

Art history junior Eleanor Hernandez helped start the Arlington Info Shop, a non-profit organization located off of Davis and Benge Drives, on October last year. The shop houses unique music, novels, and various textbooks and teaches community classes like yoga. (The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran)

Other services include organized volunteer projects like feeding the homeless and bike rides that give residents a chance to tour new places in the city.

Arlington’s lacking sense of community is a reflection of Arlington’s history, said marketing senior and shop-member Nathan Calderwood.

“Arlington used to be very small,” he said. “With the addition of the venues like Six Flags, the Texas Rangers and the Cowboys Stadium, Arlington grew very quickly and in some ways Arlington lost its sense of community.”

By continuing to offer services specifically for the local community, the lost sense can be regained, Calderwood said.

The shop opened on Oct. 16 and more than 200 people, mostly students and city residents, attended the grand opening.

Communication lecturer Geoffrey Campbell attended after being invited by one of his students.

The co-op lends donated bicycles to students and also serves as a bike repair and maintenance locale. The shop organizes bike rides on the last Friday of each month. (The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran)

“There was a lot of energy,” he said. “Everyone was having a good time, but at the same time everyone was very serious about what they were trying to start.”

Campbell said he was proud of the students and was impressed to see them take up a social cause they were passionate about.

The shop’s end goal is to get students actively involved in the community, Hernandez said.

“It’s important to make sure the Arlington Info Shop keeps growing,” she said. “More than likely there are students and residents living here in the city looking for places to give back the community.”