Hurricane-ravaged shop gives, receives while remaining thankful

FORT MYERS, Fla. (BRAIN) — Despite the hardships of losing her store to Hurricane Ian in October, Lisa Badolato said it was time to thank the Fort Myers Police Department.

The fact that it happened three days before Thanksgiving and nearly a week after obtaining an improved working space was just coincidence.

Badolato, who with husband Skip Badolato own Pedego Electric Bikes Fort Myers, gave the police a $2,400 Element e-bike Monday in appreciation for its help the past two years for escorting the annual spring Pedego Palooza customer appreciation ride in downtown.

Lisa Badolato said an officer recently approached the store about purchasing the department's first patrol bike for the Homeless Outreach Team's use. "We said that's great, because we want to donate one. So we donated one and they purchased one."

The goodwill gesture comes after a difficult couple of months when the hurricane wiped out the Badolatos' store near the Caloosahatchee River, with wrecked boats still surrounding it. The couple had been operating out of their driveway and garage until Pedego CEO Don DiCostanzo last week sent a 40-foot Class 1 RV for them to work from.

Pedego's corporate office normally uses the outfitted Pedego-badged RV for appearances at Paloozas nationally. Now it's parked in a lot across the street from the fenced-off Pedego Fort Myers store.

"We've been pretty much homeless," Badolato said. "We've been just trying to build back, and now we have this tour bus to use as a pop-up shop. It's absolutely amazing. Don has been just so supportive of us and anything we need. We couldn't have done it without them. And that's the thing. We want to give back. It's Pedego's nature, and it's our nature to give back. It was really great to do that with the Fort Myers Police Department. Their team is helping the homeless, so it's a full-circle feel good story."

Badolato said after October sales were "pretty much zero," the shop is slowly rebounding. So far, November has been better, but she said sales are down between 50-75% year-over-year.

"We've picked up business this month. It's great, but it's also sad at the same time because a lot of the people that we were selling to were repeat customers who lost bikes in the storm. They were replacing bikes. It breaks our heart, but it's helpful to keep us in business."