Mike Johnston hasn?t met a dirt bike he hasn?t ridden ? or liked.
This enthusiasm, which began at about age 12, prompted Johnston to found Ellicott City Motor Sports.
“My partner [Tom Ridley] and I both had worked at another cycle shop,” he said. “We knew we could just do things better.”
So in 1997, Johnston and Ridley hung their shingle out ? metaphorically speaking ? and let other cycle enthusiasts know they belonged to the aficionado club.
“I have raced every kind of dirt bike there is throughout the years and so has Tom,” Johnston said. “My love for them has grown since I was a child.”
Phillip Smith, who has worked in sales at the dealership for six years, said that the owners? passion for the sport convinced him to work there. It has also made many area cyclists loyal customers.
“The thing that drew me here is that the [employees] do ride and compete,” Smith said. “At most dealerships, the work is strictly about sales. Here, because everyone loves the sport, it?s more fun.”
But starting such a business wasn?t easy, Johnston said. After opening up on a “shoestring,” the partners became Yamaha dealers in 1998, at a time when the manufacturer experienced tremendous growth.
“We were lucky,” Johnston said. “We got into the right brand at the right time.”
What helped push the sales is that cycling has become more mainstream, with women a growing segment of the consumer base.
Still, the cycling community remains fairly tight-knit, Johnston said.
“When people in the area find a local shop [they like] they tend to migrate toward it,” he said. “Ellicott City didn?t have a shop until we opened one. They needed one.”
But they needed the right kind of shop, Johnston said, which is why he and Ridley worked hard to staff the store with 23 lovers of the sport.
“Most of the people who work here ride or compete or both,” Johnston said. “We want that enthusiasm in this store.”
For more information
Ellicott City Motor Sports
3275 Bethany Lane, Ellicott City
» Phone: 410-203-2119
» Web site: ellicottcitymotor-sports.com
