Front Yard Bikes

The new headquarters for Front Yard Bikes is located at 4385 Government Street in a massive building that will eventually serve as the homebase for the Youth City Lab, a collective of nonprofits all providing programming for disadvantaged youth and teens in Baton Rouge. 

WATCH: Youth City Lab announcement 

Dustin LaFont is the founder and executive director of Front Yard Bikes. He started the nonprofit organization in 2010 when he was working as a teacher in the public school system. Afterhours, kids would ask for his help fixing their bikes. They gathered in the front yard of his South Baton Rouge home, hence the name.  

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Today, students work to build their own bicycles at the main location on Terrace Street. They earn credits from learning skills and those credits can be applied towards purchasing their own bike to keep. It’s a safe space for kids to go after-school and continue learning without even fully realizing that's what they’re doing. 

“We work diligently to keep our kids accountable in the classroom as they strive for their high-school diplomas,” states the FYB website. “From recognizing positive behaviors to providing academic assistance during our Wednesday tutoring program, our kids understand the value of their education as they prepare for the job market.

The Government Street building is the secondary location and is the retail side of the operation. The donated bikes fixed up by the kids are sold at the retail shop and all the funds go back to the program. It started when the former owner of Mid City Bikes, Travis Hans, decided to close shop and move out of state. 

With the closing of the bike store, LaFont saw an opportunity to help expand the Front Yard Bikes program. Along with generating revenue, the shop serves as a way of helping the students transition their practical skills into paychecks. 

“This summer we’re planning to have 30 young people hired and that’s an undertaking,” LaFont said during a tour for the Downtown East Social Ride. “Some of our students have been able to get better, high paying jobs as we’ve advocated and put in their resume their experiences.”  

Everytime you make a purchase at the bike shop, you’re helping those kids, too. 

“We bought Mid City Bikes and I had $2,000 in the bank account. I said, alright, let’s try to run a bike shop. And we did that. We survived, and survived, and survived and even broke even. And now, miraculously, through grace, we’ve been able to get this far.” 

That initial $2,000 investment has ballooned into a $2 million overhaul of the Government Street building. Construction started at the beginning of 2025. When it's complete, it will serve as the homebase for Humanities Amped, a school-based nonprofit that fosters healing and self-esteem through self-expression; Line 4 Line, a program operating out of O’Neil’s Barber Shop on North Acadian Thruway that promotes literacy while children receive haircuts; and Big Buddy, a mentorship program that uses relationships to advance and inspire youth to create meaningful change.