Major news from the bitcoin-in-real-life hotspot of the world, Keene, New Hampshire! Now, you can get your car repaired with bitcoin at the award-winning, ASE-certified Wilder Automotive at 384 Washington Stree in Keene. Winner of the Keene Sentinel "Reader's Choice Award" for Best Local Mechanic of 2015, owner Steven Wilder learned he had multiple customers who were asking about bitcoin. As he looked into it further, he discovered that accepting bitcoin may also get him new business through the door, as the owner of Keene-based Linux computer internet retailer Think Penguin, has said he needs some car repair done and would prefer to give his business to a bitcoin-accepting mechanic.
As stated in the radio ads that Shire BTC has been running on the Peak 101.9, Bitcoin is an international currency, but feels hyper-local. We've seen multiple examples of local bitcoin-accepting businesses patronizing each other. Not only do business owners get to keep more from each sale than they do from credit card transactions, but that also means more money staying here in the Keene-area economy, rather than going to megacorporate credit card companies!
Wilder Automotive accepting bitcoin is a major level up for Keene, which until now had several smaller-ticket brick-and-mortar businesses onboard the Keene Bitcoin Network, like Main Street hair salon Moda Suo, gift shop Route 101 Local Goods, and Vietnamese food truck Bon Vivant. The announcment may attract excited bitcoiners from around the region to get their cars and trucks repaired with BTC.
Another established, award-winning Keene business that is now accepting bitcoin at their point-of-sale is Little Zoe's Take and Bake Pizza, located in the Center at Keene on Gilbo Ave. Originally established several years ago, the unique pizzeria makes each pizza fresh and then you take the pizza home and cook it in your oven! Their delicious pizza is available with a staggering amount of topping configurations and won NH Magazine's "Best of NH" award for 2013.
Both Little Zoe's and Wilder Automotive are set up with Bitpay's excellent point-of-sale app, with which bitcoiners who've dined at Local Burger are familiar. The slick app easily allows employees to input the amount of the sale in US dollars and once the customer hits send from their bitcoin wallet, the Bitpay app detects the transaction on the bitcoin network nearly instantly, emits a "ding!" sound, and the screen turns green with a "Success!" displayed.
According to Coinmap.org, which shows the physical locations of bitcoin-accepting businesses globally, Keene continues to defeat the supposed number one bitcoin-accepting-businesses-per-capita city, San Francisco, and the addition of these two solidifies our lead. (SF has one bitcoin-accepting business per 8,210 population and Keene has one per every 1,672.)
Also worthy of mention, though it doesn't exactly count as a Keene business, nearby brand-new Bar-B-Que joint "Kirby's Q" in Alstead opened its doors in November and has been accepting bitcoin from its founding. I've had their food, and it's delicious. Kirby's is located at 163 River Street in Alstead and is open Thursday through Sunday.
Kudos to some of the best bitcoin activists in the world for helping these businesses get onboard with bitcoin. More bitcoin use means more economic freedom and strength for the Keene area! If you're wondering how to get started using or accepting bitcoin, check out Bitcoin.com.
Originally posted to my main blog, Free Keene: http://freekeene.com/2016/12/03/bitcoin-now-buys-auto-repair-and-pizza-in-keene-bbq-in-alstead/