bamabikeguy
Active Member
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090719-BIZ-907190311
Saw this article from Portsmouth....interested folks could go to this guys place and experience the "grin factor" right away, see what we all are talking about.
He also might be contacted about joining MB.com, the article has his e mail and website:
Saw this article from Portsmouth....interested folks could go to this guys place and experience the "grin factor" right away, see what we all are talking about.
He also might be contacted about joining MB.com, the article has his e mail and website:
By Laura Hedges
business@seacoastonline.com
July 19, 2009 6:00 AM
PORTSMOUTH - In a time when corporate businesses are racing to extinguish perpetual fires, small start-up businesses like Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales at Strawberry Banke Museum offer a breath of fresh air to the Seacoast community.
Shop owner Dan Clarke said simplicity is the premise behind the concept of his family's business. Clarke lives close to Portsmouth's bustling downtown and said he and his family wanted to give the community a fun outlet. After approaching city officials and other community members with the idea of a bike rental shop, the business took off.
At a glance
Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales, LLC
OWNER: Dan Clarke
ADDRESS: 91 Marcy St., Portsmouth
PHONE: 918-0346
E-MAIL: dan@wanderlust-rentals.com
WEB: www.wanderlust-rentals.com
"The business is just something simple and a way for people to get out and about," Clarke said. "What else could you do that only costs $5 an hour?"
Like the basic sales booth for the shop, the cruisers, or beach bikes, are also basic. It costs $5 per hour or $35 for a daily rental to take the classic one-speed out for a meander. If you planned to follow the suggested cemetery route or Wallis Sands tour, a motor-assisted bike for $55 a day provides a faster alternative.
The motor-assisted bikes get 100 miles per gallon and can reach 20 to 25 mph, said Clarke.
Clarke's wife Christine Addison said what many people in the area do not realize is how close the beaches are to the downtown.
"I was able to reach Wallis Sands in just 10 minutes on a motor-assisted bike," Addison said.
In fact, the curiosity about motorized bikes is what sparked the idea for a bike rental shop.
"They were so cool," Addison said. "I just wanted to try one myself."
Although the motor-assisted bikes might spark new interest, the classic style bikes have been a major call for attention. With wide seats and curved lines, it looks as if the bikes belong outside a neighborhood soda shop from days gone by.
"These bikes are nostalgic to people," Addison said. "We were going for that classic, old-school type of look."
Clarke said Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales has had a slow start due to the rainy summer so far, but he is hopeful word of the shop will get out. Addison said every business has some type of initial struggle and the rains of June will just be a story they tell their friends in coming years. Clarke and Addison said the last couple months have not been a serious personal loss because the family as a whole has been able to spend time together.
"As opposed to doing our own thing, we are working together for this business," Addison said. "We would never spend this much time together."
Their son, Storm Addison, 18, recently graduated from high school and has taken on the responsibility of running the bike booth. Storm said most custumers have been satisfied and leave with smiles on their faces.
"It's all about communicating with each other," Storm said. "If there is something to do, it will just get done. I've had other jobs where I didn't want to talk to my boss because it was my boss, but it's different because they're my parents."
Clarke agreed and said the family is always involved with each other because they are settling details for the business. The Clarke-Addison family assembled the bicycles themselves, designed their own brochures, and painted their own business sign as a way to keep overhead costs down. With a full-time job as a manufacturing engineer for a company in Amesbury, Mass., the bike shop helps Clarke express himself creatively and to spend time with his family.
"This has been something that's been really fun to do together as a family," Clarke said.
As Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales gains momentum, the family said the next step is to start adding children's bikes, making it an all-around family business.
At a glance
Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales, LLC
OWNER: Dan Clarke
ADDRESS: 91 Marcy St., Portsmouth
PHONE: 918-0346
E-MAIL: dan@wanderlust-rentals.com
WEB: www.wanderlust-rentals.com
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