For Thomas Jenkins, who was an average Virginian kid in the 1970s, the gas crisis turned him on to biking.
“I grew up like a lot of kids in the ’70s where we all rode bikes, especially in the mid-’70s,” Jenkins said. “As a kid I remember tinkering with bikes, working on bikes, and doing whatever I could do to get my bike to run.”
When Jenkins got his driver’s license, he became very fond of cars and fell out of love with biking. But in college, he found them once again and fell back in love with the gears.
After rediscovering his love with bikes, Jenkins had the idea to start a bike shop. In 2000, he and his business partner, Tim Richardson, decided to open the bike shop Shenandoah Bicycle Company in downtown Harrisonburg.
“We wanted a bike shop downtown and there wasn’t one,” Jenkins said. “Downtown was just a ghost town back then so we wanted to kind of help mobilize the downtown Harrisonburg area.”
With the addition of the bike shop, they opened a smoothie place that connects to the bike shop.
“Our goal there was to find another way to bring people into the bike shop and promote something healthy,” Jenkins said.“Bike shops are usually really intimidating for people and we believe they should be a nice place to hang out and socialize.”
Jenkins said, there are many struggles that come with owning a shop in a populous city. For example, a couple of months ago a car drove straight into the building.
“I think those things bring staff together,” Jenkins said. “Seeing how they respond is the big thing. It actually builds that kind of team morale. But it does have an effect on sales because [the building] is not as attractive as it used to be.”
Another obstacle for Jenkins is the growing interest in electric bikes. Jenkins said he has noticed a change in the age group that comes to his store.
“We saw a lot of people who are in the older age bracket, like 60 and up people who want to keep riding,” Jenkins said. “The technology of e-bikes is helping them ride the hills of Harrisonburg easier and longer into their life.”
