My husband, Jose, has worked at the Bike Palace since he was 16 years old and absolutely loved his job. Last night, December 23rd, the night before Christmas Eve, the Bike Palace caught fire and my husband received a call that the shop was on fire. He raced down there only to see his whole life, where he grew up, burn to the ground. Absolutely devastating. The Bike Palace has been there since 1973, and this next coming year, Jose was planned to take over the shop as the owner, Tony, was about to retire. We were so overjoyed to begin our new adventure and secure our retirement in the Bike Palace. Now that hope & opportunity is gone. He stood there almost the whole night watching it burn. Broke my heart to see this. And especially on his mother’s heavenly birthday and the day before was her death anniversary. Jose and I are strong and resilient, but this was our livelihood and how we pay our rent and bills. We’ve never really made much, but it was enough to live and enjoy some outings. Now all the bills rest solely on my income, which is not enough to pay our rent & bills. As Jose finds what he’s going to do next in life with work, we ask kindly and wholeheartedly for some help. Any help, no matter how small the amount, will help and be appreciated during these difficult times for us. We are both hard workers, and we will survive this, and we will forever be in your debt. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We love you all.

- Jose and Jackie Carlos