Intown Bicycles Owner Bio & Store History
In the Words of Mike Goodman
I started Intown Bicycles March 15, 1982, in a half burned down carriage house, in the back yard of a triplex, on North Highland Ave. But I've actually been in bike shops since the seventies. Here's the story...
Starting Out at S&K Bike Shop
In the mid-seventies, as luck would have it, I fell into a job at S&K Bike Shop while attending The University of Georgia in Athens. A "10 Speed" bike fad had erupted at that time, and everybody was buying imported lightweight bikes from Europe. I learned the trade assembling Peugeot U-08s, Raleigh Records and Raleigh Grand Prixs.
I could hardly believe my good fortune. It was the most fun job I'd ever had. Not only did I get to work on bikes and talk to people about them, they actually paid me $2.00/hr to do it!
Touring in the 70's
My Kids Think I (R) Look So Wierd in this Picture.
As a college student I soon discovered the economy and convenience of bicycle transportation and later the joys of bicycle touring. Although racing was just coming around at that time, my interests were not in that aspect of the sport. Thus, my background lies in touring and commuting.
After graduating from college, and trying a couple of "real jobs" that I very much disliked, I knew, given that I was going to have to work for the next thirty years, that I needed to do something I enjoyed, like owning a bike shop. Although I had no money, I did have a plan, and a ton of desire.
I landed a job in the day time at Dunwoody Schwinn where I spent all my wages buying bicycle tools. By night, I worked at Victoria Station waiting tables. That's also where I met my wife of 28 years. It was a magical time.
Here is where we started
By 1982, I'd accumulated enough tools to open a small repair shop. With the landlord's blessing, and the neighbor's good graces, Midtown Bicycles was born on March 15th, 1982 in the backyard of the first apartment my wife and I rented together.
Unfortunately, the shop was difficult to find, up on the hill, down the alley, and off the side street. So it took an eternal three years to accumulate enough cash to where, now we, felt comfortable moving our little business to the street and taking on our first real overhead. But those were good times in the backyard bike shop. Our first son was born then, and we enjoyed a wonderful sense of family, business, and community there.
North Highland Storefront 1985
In 1985 we finally made the jump. We changed the name to Intown Bicycles and moved directly across the street from our apartment on North Highland. (My commute to work sometimes took as long as 3 minutes if the traffic was really bad!) With the addition of our first employee (anybody remember Glenn?), we operated there on Highland, near the post office, next to Camille's, for nine years.
Us Now
By 1994 we had outgrown our space and were ready to move when the lease expired. On April 15th, 1994 (an easy date to remember) during a "Freaknik" weekend, we moved to our present location on Monroe Dr. We've been here for 16 years now and have enjoyed being part of the community for 28 years. And What a Ride It's Been!
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Have a question about the world of bicycles? Whether it regards product information, technical issues, or riding the streets of Atlanta all you have to do is ask bicycle expert Mike Goodman, Intown Bicycles owner with over 30 years of experience in the industry.
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