Since opening its doors 55 years ago, The Bicycle Shop has been an enduring presence in the Brantford community.
Terry Detheridge, who is the founder and owner, explained the early start of the shop.
“My dad and his brother started a service garage back in 1947 and they basically grew it from there. My uncle died in 1959 and my dad took it over [and] I started working with him when I was around 10 years old and eventually, I would do some bike repairs before opening the bike shop in 1969,” Terry explained. “During my last year in high school, I [acquired] ten, ten-speed bikes [from out of the city] and brought them back to Brantford. I was successful in selling all of them for $99 each…[and] that’s what really started me in the bike business.”
By the second and third year, Detheridge’s business grew steadily.
“1970 and 1971, [were] pretty good years, because of the gas crisis as more people were turning to bikes. We got a lot of customers from around Brantford and Simcoe and other people coming to us from [other] areas,” he said. “We [then] built an addition to the shop in 1972, giving us a showroom to display our bikes. In 1979 we built a bigger addition [and] then in 1999 we built the main shop, which is what is there today. The automotive part was sold 15 years ago and now I own the whole building.”
However, The Bicycle Shop has always prided itself as a family operated business and along with Terry, his wife Lori and daughter Tara, have been integral to its success. Tara described how got her start in the family business.
“Like many kids who are part of family businesses, I was born into it. I would just kind of hang out at the shop on March breaks [and] during summer vacations and by 2000, I was spending more time at the shop and working there…doing sales and helping it,” said Tara. “During the last 20 plus years that I’ve been here, the industry’s changed quite a bit, but I think the needs of customers are still the same. Bicycles haven’t profoundly changed that much, just the technology has improved…most things have changed for the better [and] our services have expanded to suit the needs of our customers.”
The Detheridge’s have also been active in the community, being part of various charities and initiatives through the years.
“We’ve been sponsoring the Thank-A-Vet Luncheon for about 27 years now. We have also sponsored the Rotary Club’s ‘Classic Run and have supplied bicycles to the youth fundraisers for the hike and bike for hospice [Stedman Community Hospice] …and over the years, we’ve done many more sponsorships and [contributed to other] charities,” said Terry.
For Tara, many of the highlights from being at the shop have also come from community initiatives.
“We used to do an annual program with the library; teaching kids about bikes…and that’s when I was a bit younger, which was a lot of fun…and in 2023, we helped the Children’s Safety Village. They had an Ontario Trillium grant, so they were able to purchase bikes for their programs through us [and] we got bikes ready and set up for them. We also subsidized some of the costs for the village to be able to get more bikes. So that was kind of a neat initiative,” she explained.
As the Bicycle Shop celebrates over five decades in servicing Brantford and the surrounding communities, the Detheridge’s maintain their longevity and success because of their customer-focus approach to doing business.
“I think people always appreciate a local connection…people like dealing with other people and businesses that they’ve known for a long time. Even us, being a second-generation or even a third-generation family business…it’s generational…so, people who would bring their cars in to get them fixed at my grandfather’s auto shop, would [then] buy bikes at my dad’s store. And then, their kids would come in and buy bikes from me, “said Terry. “I think it’s how good service breeds good service [and if] people have positive experiences they will recommend the business and share their story… [I believe] that good quality customer service goes a long way.”
