The story of the Cycle Shack in Randallstown could almost be a chapter from the “Great American Dream Handbook.”
The year was 1972 and Rob and Vicky Kunkel sold Rob?s beloved Harley Davidson motorcycle and took the cash to start their own business in a garage behind his father?s house. Their goal was to earn enough money to buy their own home.
“The first year we were in business, he would work his regular job of construction and I would run the shop,” Vicky Kunkel said. “As soon as he got home, he?d run the shop. In those days we were 9 to 9, seven days a week.”
Life has become a bit less frenetic for the Kunkels in the more than three decades since they began their business. The Kunkels, now joined by son Slade and several employees, still specialize in Harley repair. They moved long ago from the garage that was their first job site, and now house the business in a several-times-expanded 8,000-square-foot building.
Indeed, on a recent day discussing the business, Vicky Kunkel was occasionally called away to discuss various parts or accessories for customers? cycles. In Kunkel?s world, those customers can range from professionals who?ve returned to cycling after years of absence to the “live and breathe cycles” person.
That?s not surprising to cycle enthusiast Ed Kriston of the Towson office of AAA Mid-Atlantic, headquartered in Wilmington, Del. “More and more people are riding motorcycles,” Kriston said noting the high price of gasoline.
When the Kunkels started their business, they almost immediately decided to specialize in the repair of Harleys. Today the business boasts a host of other services including custom paint jobs and an array of sophisticated diagnostic and repair services. Customers, many of whom hail from as far away as West Virginia, can also buy used cycles on consignment.
The shop is customer friendly, too, with many comfortable features including rocking chairs on a large front porch, perfect for customers who want to sit and talk about Harleys.
Not only has business boomed in the years since Cycle Shack began, but the Kunkels have received industry notice, too, most recently from Dealer News for “Best Independent Dealer of Pre-Owned Harley Davidson Motorcycles.”
“We are not standing still,” Kunkel said. “We are always moving forward.”
More information
Cycle Shack
10124 Liberty Road
Randallstown
410-922-6198; 410-922-6141
shackattack.com
