After 23 years of owning cycle shops in Ottawa, and a couple years as a social worker after being hit by a car and unable to work with bikes, Paul Bouchard left Bytown for Hogtown.
With his four children grown up, Paul decided that it was time to make his way in Toronto. He worked as the superintendent of a building in Rosedale, a career he wasn’t entirely happy with. Sensing this, his new girlfriend Esther encouraged him to return to his first love.
With her support and help hunting for space, Paul opened Papa Lowins Cyclery & Design on Avenue Road, just north of Dupont, in a former alterations shop.
A native of the Netherlands, Esther knows the value and culture of bikes and has gone all in, leaving the downtown condo her computer logistics company paid for; the two now call the back of the shop home.