Trivia: What does “Big 4” mean in Chattanooga’s former “Big 4 Bike Shop”?
For many Chattanoogans who came of age in the early- to mid-20th century, the downtown bike store and hobby shop was a city institution, a place where Santa shopped for gleaming new Dixie Flyers and workers repaired and painted cherished older bikes.
But nothing in the newspaper record explains the name: “Big 4.” Do you know what it means? If you do, please write to the email address at the end of this article.
This 1950 photo places the bike shop at 1820 Rossville Blvd., near the intersection of Rossville Boulevard and Central Avenue. The photo is part of a collection of Chattanooga News-Free Press photos displayed at ChattanoogaHistory.com, a website curated by history buff Sam Hall.
The first mention of the Big 4 Bike Shop in local newspaper ads and articles dates to 1936, when the theft of a single Dixie Flyer bicycle was enough to prompt a newspaper notice. The stolen bike was black and white with chrome fenders and the store owner wanted it back badly enough to take out an ad and offer a reward for information about the theft.