People of Pinnacle – The Brake Room
By Melody Pereira
The Downtown District includes not only Front Street, but also the West Side of Pinnacle Street! We’re excited to introduce you to some of the People of Pinnacle you may have not met before, or who you want to get to know better. Let’s shine the spotlight on the Downtown District’s very own: Pinnacle Street! We learn their stories and discover more about the events and motivations that have led them to their successful businesses today. Let’s get into it …
The Brake Room
The first stop on our People of Pinnacle virtual tour was a check-in at The Brake Room. Co-owner Laura Voskamp shared more about her business, what it’s all about, and what makes it so unique!
The Brake Room, sitting on the corner of Pinnacle and Dundas Street is a full repair bike shop, open for new purchases, upgrades, new parts, and repairs. What can be better than that? Well, The Brake Room also doubles as a coffee and espresso bar. With this, they are able to bring customer service to new heights and make their location so much more than a bike repair shop. Carrying products from local vendors and serving up the trendiest lattes, The Brake Room is ready for you whenever you feel like you need a ride, a baked good, morning fix, or just to simply take a “brake”.
The Brake Room all came into fruition in May of 2016 where Laura and her partner Adam decided to start the business and made it their goal to make The Brake Room a spot that could be a true hub for the community, coffee, and cycle culture. It’s not just coffee, it’s not just bikes.
With entrepreneurial mindsets and both coming from families of entrepreneurs, Laura and Adam always had the goal of working for themselves and they jumped on the opportunity of starting a unique business that focused on bicycle-friendly lifestyles. They strive to make their shop the type of place where cyclists and non-cyclists alike can become regulars.
Laura shared that the name decision for The Brake Room was a long process of “throwing names up on the wall and seeing which one stuck”. She says that one day it just clicked. The location on the corner of Pinnacle and Dundas Street in downtown Belleville used to be an auto glass shop, so Laura and Adam liked the idea of tying in the idea of a coffee break to the garage theme and found that it worked perfectly!
Why the unique location on Pinnacle?
Being locals, it always made sense for Laura and Adam to set up shop near their closest support systems and they felt that the location on Pinnacle and Dundas couldn’t be better. They are connected to the Belleville downtown core and are also on the main artery for both tourists of the area and commuters. To top it all off, the location is just a stone’s throw away from two of the city’s multi-use trails. This is perfect for both the cyclists and those who’d like to enjoy an outdoor walk with their fresh latte and baked goods.
When asked to describe a typical day on the job, Laura stated that there isn’t really a “typical day” at the shop. Weather, seasonality, and other factors all make each day at The Brake Room different. Workers often get up to taking care of the morning commuter rush and communicating with local suppliers for the shop and café. They then work on consulting with folks shopping for bikes and accessories and working on projects.
With the pandemic madness that has taken over for over a year, Laura and Adam have seen that even the best-laid plans need to be prepared to change at a moment’s notice. Through learning and growing during the pandemic, The Brake Room has lots of plans and projects in the works – so keep your eyes peeled for exciting new updates!
