Diversification leads to success for Cruisin’ 66

“It’s kind of the old general store atmosphere, where they would all just go and hang out and play cards or whatever. That’s kind of what we are for the biking community,” said Nan Woodsome, who owns the business with her husband, Tim.

The Woodsomes bought Cruisin’ 66 in October 2003, having moved to the Ozarks from Colorado in 2001. At the time, the store was called Bike Joint, and it catered to hard-core bikers.

“My husband’s a retired police officer, and he said there was no way the word ‘joint’ was going to be in the name of a store he owned,” laughed Woodsome, who was a computer software instructor for Healthmedx Inc. in Ozark when they bought the business.

The name wasn’t the only thing that changed.

The Woodsomes brought with them the desire to focus on customer service, and also set about expanding the store’s somewhat limited inventory that included only skimpy clothing for women.

Cruisin’ 66 started carrying clothes and accessories for fans of Asian sport bikes, though its main lines are Victory Motorcycles, which are made by Polaris, and Big Dog Motorcycles.

Big Dog Motorcycles cost about $30,000 each. Victory Motorcycles run $13,000 to $20,000, competing directly with Harley-Davidson bikes.

“You can’t just be pigeon-holed in one segment and become successful,” Woodsome said.

Cruisin’ 66 carries as many as 50 bikes at a time in its 6,000-square-foot showroom.

The business has two mechanics, who can service any type of motorcycle, and a separate 3,500-square-foot parts warehouse.

The business generated $2.1 million in revenues in 2005.

Woodsome credits motorcycle-themed TV shows and the increase in baby boomers with empty nests and disposable income for much of her store’s success.

“They’ve sold the boat because the kids are gone,” she said.

“They’ve sold the motor home, and now they’re going to buy something just for them.”

Although the store is growing, the Woodsomes still maintain a focus on customer service.

The company’s nine employees are required to know the store’s customers by their first names – a task not as daunting as it sounds given that 80 percent are regulars.

Customers, many from the white-collar world, hang around the store on Saturdays looking for someone to ride with.

When a regular customer recently spent a week in a coma after a car T-boned him on his sport bike, the word spread quickly.

Though the 18-year old is now awake and recovering, the Woodsomes and other regulars did their share of the worrying.

“It is just like a big family,” Nan Woodsome said.

Cruisin’ 66

Address: 1310 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, MO 65804

Phone: (417) 891-9998

Web site: www.cruisin66cycles.com

2005 southwest Missouri revenues: $2.1 million