Varney's Biclorama - The Referee & cycle trade journal Vol. 16, No. 15, February 6, 1896

The Referee & cycle trade journal -  v. 16 Nov. 1895-Apr. 1896 - page 916

HUGE AND COMPLETE. 

Varney's Biclorama at San Francisco Is Unique in Its Size and Equipment. 

Thomas H. B. Varney's Rambler bicyclorarna at San Francisco combines all the different departments of a fully equipped bicycle store. It is on the corner of Market, Tenth, and Stevenson streets, and has an entrance on each street.
The salesroom is 80 feet long and 40 feet wide and contains a full assortment of Rambler and Ideal bicycles, as well as tandems. The entrance to the salesroom is on Market street near Tenth, and the cars of the Valencia, Haight, Castro, Oak, and Post street lines pass the door, while the Mission, Larkin, and Hayes street cars run within one block. The renting department opens on Tenth street and occupies 6,000 square feet of floor room. Renters can ride one block up Fell street, to Van Ness avenue, and from there to the park, by the way of Golden Gate avenue, or they can take the Howard street slot and ride to the Ferry, or to San Jose via San Bruno or Mission road. The repair shop is on the corner of Stevenson and Tenth streets, is large and commodious and has all the latest improvements. The stock and shipping room is very large, and is carefully arranged for a large stock of bicycles and parts, sundries and accessories. It is 120 feet by 60, and all the shipping and receiving freight is done from the Stevenson street entrance. This gives this immense store three entrances — one on Market street, one on Tenth street and one on Stevenson street. No department interferes with the other, and yet each is closely connected. The building is fitted with all the latest improvements, including electric lights, electric power for the repair shop, and has telephones, dummy waiters and package deliveries between the different departments. The riding academy covers the entire second floor of the immense biclorama building. Each instruction department is entirely without posts and the women have a separate school, on the second floor, where they can learn without fear of interruption.

It is Mr. Varney's object to make the Rambler biclorama the most elegant and complete establishment in the United States, where all can learn to ride, can then rent bicycles of the latest pattern and, after they have full confidence in their ability to manage the silent steed, can buy a bicycle which will give perfect satisfaction. There is no other bicyclery in any city, it is said, where the salesroom, teaching, renting, repairing, and wholesale departments are in one building which is so centrally located and of such liberal proportions.

VARNEY'S 'FRISCO CYCLERY, WHERE RAMBLERS ARE SOLD The Referee & cycle trade journal -  v. 16 Nov. 1895-Apr. 1896 - page 1327

Biclorama of Thomas H. B. Varney

The old Panorama building at Tenth and Market streets has been changed into a most model and complete bicycling establishment, being the finest biclorama in the world. The old front has been entirely torn down and all of the old offices torn out, and in the place of the old front there is a new plate glass front with windows coming within fourteen inches of the sidewalk, which make a very imposing entrance thirty-eight feet wide and enable the passers-by to look into the store, which is thirty-eight feet wide by eighty feet deep, being one large open store fronting on Market street, used for the bicycle salesroom and showroom.

The circular portion of the building has been divided into three stories, the first floor comprising the renting department. Adjoining this room is the ladies' parlor, which is elegantly furnished and carpeted.

The repair shop is also on the first floor, and is arranged with all of the latest improved power machinery and a large enameling oven. The shop is on the corner of Tenth and Stevenson streets, and has windows on both streets, making it extremely light and perfect in every appointment. On the Stevenson-street side is the entrance to the stock and shipping room. This room is semi-circular in shape, and the outside of the room forms an arc about 175 feet long by about 40 wide, and is arranged to hold bicycles, with a capacity of 2400 crated machines. This completes the first floor of the building.

The second floor of the building is arranged into four separate divisions, including the gentlemen's parlors, smoking-room, toilet-room, baths, showers and lockers; second, the upper portion of the repair shop, which is a duplicate in size of the main repair-shop; third, the upper story of the stock and shipping room, which is also the same size as the main stock and shipping room; the fourth division on the second floor is a deck to the salesroom.

The third floor of the building is one large open room 380 feet in circumference and covering a floor space of about 12,000 square feet. It contains two riding academies, one for the ladies and one for gentlemen and ladies. The inside or ladies' track is about 240 feet in circumference and is used to teach beginners until they get accustomed to the wheels, after which they can ride in the larger academy if they wish.

Varney Biclorama Mon, Feb 10, 1896 – Page 9 · The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, California) · Newspapers.com

THE RAMBLER BICLORAMA.

Varney's Bicyclery the Largest and Most Complete in the World 

Among the many attractions offered to sightseers in San Francisco which will especially commend itself to wheelmen is Thomas H. B. Varney's Rambler Biclorama, which has recently been opened at the junction of Market, Tenth and Stevenson streets.

This mammoth establishment is perhaps the largest, and is certainly the most complete bicycle emporium in the world. Within its walls are vast salesrooms, storerooms, two riding academies, repair shops, locker-rooms, a separate instruction-room for ladies and a riding department.

The accommodations provided for patrons of the riding academy, which occupies 12,000 square feet of floor space in the center of the building, are perfect. For the ladies a handsomely furnished parlor, where a maid is constantly in attendance, has been set apart.

In close proximity are the dressing and locker rooms, toilet and bath rooms, all of which are fitted up in a manner seldom before attempted in an establishment of this kind. Handsomely tiled shower baths and porcelain tubs, with a constant supply of bot and cold water, are provided for both ladies and gentlemen, and the lockerroom of the latter is in charge of an attendant at all hours.

In the academy are two distinct tracks, the inner and smaller circle being partitioned off for pupils of the fairer sex, while the larger one is the arena in which the male riders exhibit their prowess.

Especial attention has been paid to the repair department, the entrance to which is on Tenth street, every appliance known to modern bicycle mechanism being supplied to skilled artisans. The plant includes a large oven and an enameling-room, while the motive power for the machinery is electricity, which also furnishes the illumination in every department of the building.

New Rambler machines, both single and tandem, may be rented on very reasonable terms by the hour, day, week or month, by those who desire to take a spin into the country, while the rates for storage, including cleaning, are extremely moderate.

Varney Biclorama Thu, Mar 19, 1896 – Page 16 · San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California) · Newspapers.com

PIONEER OF PETALUMA DEAD

Thomas H. B. Varney, 75, pioneer bay district businessman, died late Sunday at his home at 89 Southhampton street, Berkeley.

Varney was a native of Petaluma but more than half a century ago operated a bicycle business in San Francisco. Later he entered the outdoor advertising business but had been retired since 1916. Surviving are one son. Walter T. Varney, widely known in aviation circles, and two daughters, Mrs. Grant N. Smith and Miss Maud Varney, of Berkeley.

Funeral arrangements have not been completed.

Varney's San Francisco bicycle store was a popular place in the old days and headquarters for Harry Terrill, Charles Wells, Newton Ackerman and others who won fame as bicycle riders in former years.

[Click that second link. Thomas H. B. Varney and Walter Foster, both local cyclists and businessmen, founded what is now Clearchannel.]

Thomas H. B. Varney obituary Tue, Nov 7, 1933 – Page 5 · Petaluma Argus-Courier (Petaluma, California) · Newspapers.com

Varney Biclorama Sun, May 31, 1896 – Page 8 · The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, California) · Newspapers.com8.2MB original of page containing above ad