Made in New England

I recently returned from a work-related trip to the New Hampshire.  While I was there, I was able to make a pilgrimage, of sorts, to Independent Fabrication (IF), the bike makers who made my husband's mid-life crisis bike.  IF is located in Newmarket, NH, which was only about five miles from Durham, where I had my meetings.  I popped into the retail store unannounced, and received well more than the nickle tour!  The gentleman who greeted me showed me the bikes crafted for the North American Handmade Bike Show,  including this sweet cruiser with real gold for the detailing.  I picked up a couple t-shirts for me and hubby, and spent a while chatting about bikes and cross and other things that I don't know all that much about but hope to learn more.

The very cool part, on top of the generosity of the bike shop employee who took so much time out of his day to chat and show me cool stuff, was the fact that the shop and factory are in the old Newmarket mill building.  I love it when old buildings are renovated and re-purposed!  The mill building, granite of course, is located on Main Street along the river, and is now home to high-end shops and apartments.  Newmarket was a pretty little town, with lots of good places to eat and explore.  While I've never been particularly inclined to live in New England, I admit I love the small towns and the architectural charm.  And of course it's nice to drive around in a place where the ocean is in the East and the mountains are in the West.  Fourteen years in the PNW and the dang Rocky Mountains screw me up repeatedly, as in my brain I always think that if you are heading in their direction, you must be going West.  I have ended up going the wrong way on the I-90 multiple times here, but never in the East!

Looking back in the direction of the IF factory, from the rear.

Main Street, Newmarket, NH