RICHMOND, Va. -- A new update for you on the Southside Richmond bike shop that closed without warning in early December.
Customers who had ordered and paid for new bikes from Coqui Cyclery as well as suppliers who had extended Coqui credit are all out of thousands of dollars after owner Clint Kronenberger was nowhere to be found.
That is, until Thursday when several customers who had left their bikes or bike parts to be repaired were able to retrieve those items when Kronenberger suddenly appeared.
He led them to a side entrance and let them in.
A few minutes later they emerged one by one, grateful to have their prized possessions back after months of uncertainty.
"I'm quite surprised I got it back," said Michael Gurvich, who had dropped off a broken bike part. "I didn't even have a work order for it. Just dropped it off for Clint. I thought it was the last I was going to see of it, and there it was waiting for me. I told him I wish he had communicated better. Other than that, I forgive him. I can't know what's going on in his head in his world, and I'm just thankful to have this stuff back, and I hope he makes everyone's situation right. He seems genuinely apologetic about it, so I forgive him."
After waiting more than three months, Lynne Just said she had about given up. "I'm thrilled to death to have it back," Just said. "I was just frustrated. Frustrated that I didn't have it, frustrated that there was no communication. And that's what I told him. I said, 'Everybody has things go on in their life, but you need to communicate. And if you'd communicated, people wouldn't be in a tizzy the way they are,' over the things going on with this guy's personal life. So it's unfortunate for him, but I'm thrilled to have my bike back, and I can just go home and ride it now."
After the three customers got their bikes and gear back, I knocked on the shop door to speak with Kronenberger about the fate of other customers - the ones who had paid thousands of dollars for bikes they never received.
But Kronenberger did not open the door.
So it is not clear whether those folks will ever see their new bikes or their money back.
I left a message with his attorney and have yet to hear back.
At least one customer has filed a claim against Kronenberger for the $7,089 he paid in advance.
And Giant, the bike and parts manufacturer, has sued Kronenberger and Coqui for more than $144.000 it says he owes them.
You'll recall Kronenberger faces an assault and battery charge against a family member. You can read more about that here.
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