HYDE PARK — David Jones is worried his 35-year run fixing bikes in Hyde Park is in danger of ending after a rough winter and a crummy accountant.
The owner of D.J.’s Bike Doctor, 1500 E. 55th St., is fighting to get his store back on track after finding out he was $30,000 behind on his taxes and that his accountant hadn't been filing tax documents correctly and had taken off with all of his paperwork.
“It’s getting hairy and I’m getting nervous,” Jones said Tuesday.
He’s made some small steps toward asking for donations, but said he would rather people bring their bikes in early for a tune-up.
“I would prefer the work,” Jones said.
He said he’s added bike storage and is pushing his knife sharpening skills to bring in the extra money, but he said he’s not sure how the store will survive without nice weather extending the bike season this year.
Jones said he’s worked out a payment plan with the state and federal tax collectors, but when last year’s epic winter shortened the biking season, he began to wonder whether he’d be able to make it.
“We’re a seasonal business and I expect it to be slow, but not this slow,” Jones said.
He said his landlord, the University of Chicago, has given him some flexibility and he’s looking for a second job, but he’s not sure it will be enough unless it’s an especially good year for biking.
Jones struck out on his own in 2009 and opened the store in the Hyde Park Shopping Center after working at the now-defunct Art’s Cyclery for more than two decades. He hired a family friend to do the books, unaware that the accountant didn't appear to be filing the correct papers or turning over the proper tax money to the IRS.
“He just disappeared and took all my papers,” Jones said.
Jones said he’s lowered his prices for the winter to drum up business, but will have to raise them in the spring regardless of when it comes this year.
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