Meet Amy Wilkins | Spice eBike Owner & Community Builder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Wilkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I love eBikes. But I’ve always been a more casual cyclist, taking in the scenery slowly while the road cyclists pass me by. And I didn’t even ride an eBike until I considered buying an eBike shop. (Though, once I found the right eBike for me, it was hard to get me off of it!)

I didn’t open an eBike shop because I’d always had some burning love for bikes or eBikes or bike shops, like so many people who own and work in bike shops. Instead, I came across the opportunity to own an eBike shop at the right time in my life, and with the right combination of curiosity, fearlessness, and a determined spirit of “yes I can and yes I will”– and with the belief that coming from outside the the bike world brought a fresh perspective that would allow me to create a different kind of shop. I also understood the importance of building a business that includes the input and partnership of people who understand the world of bikes and eBikes intimately, and I’ve worked hard to build those relationships.

For most of my career, I had worked as a professor. With a PhD in sociology, I had been deeply concerned with questions about people, community, social connection, and mobility. My next move had to make sense with who I am, what I care about, and where I wanted to put my passion. I didn’t know what that was yet.

One of the most important things I learned in my earlier career was how restorative the outdoors can be. Like so many other jobs, mine had taken up too much space in my head and body. And I wanted to do something that created something better for people. I wanted to imagine something better for myself.

The thing that I love about eBikes is their ability to create both personal and community restoration by getting so many different people outdoors. Because eBikes are for everyone:. eBikes are magical. And I love the idea of selling magic.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Spice eBikes is a small independent (non-franchised) eBike retail and repair shop on Main Street in Longmont. When I purchased it from the original owner, it was called Small Planet eBikes, a terrific name focused on the potential sustainability impact of eBikes, but not on what eBikes do for customers. My intention in rebranding the shop as Spice eBikes is to emphasize the “game changing” impact of eBikes on customers themselves.

eBikes add spice to both individual lives and to the community, increasing the vitality of everyday life and community connections. The process of purchasing an eBike should feel warm, connected, and personal too. I knew from my own experience and from customer stories that women, and many men, feel uncomfortable or dismissed in most bike and eBike stores. I wanted to fill the need for an inclusive, inviting retail space in which all customers feel comfortable asking the questions that will guide them to make the right purchase, to be fitted correctly, to purchase the right products, and to get personal and attentive service. We aim to stock a range of eBikes for both lifetime cyclists and people new to riding, and accessories for all people, with thoughtful attention to women’s needs.

I am incredibly proud of how well we have achieved this goal, and the high high praise my staff and I get for our attentive, detailed, and warm customer service.

Has it been hard? Hell, yes. When someone tells you entrepreurnership is difficult; it’s best to multiply their caution by 100. When I began this project, I ignored them completely, which is how I’ve managed to get anything worth doing done in life.

The Colorado eBike Tax Credit, which gave all residents a $450 at the point of sale, added an additional challenge this year, because the state has held back that money from retailers. We do hope to see it soon, but they’ve held it for a year, and it’s had a significant impact on cash flow for my shop and many others. I think it’s valuable to lobby on behalf of independent shops like mine to make sure that well-intended bills are structured in ways that make the most sense for consumers and small businesses so we can continue to have a vibrant Colorado community!

I am passionate about my shop and the products and warm, approachable space it offers, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. I’ve had to learn to be patient about letting my ideas grow and percolate while I solve one problem at a time. I want to make the shop a magical place for the greater Longmont community and look forward to continuing to work on my ideas with my co-conspirators.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Colorado is an endless wonderland, but my friends and family inevitably want to stay close to home. They want to see my shop, they want to go out on eBikes, and they want to see the community in which my family and I work and thrive. Longmont was recently ranked the 11th best city for biking by The League of American Bicyclists — it is a great place to take visitors on a bicycling tour!

And Longmont is one of the coolest cities around with an endless supply of festivals, shows and events at breweries and new small downtown locations, such as Miss Krissy’s Bistro and Kuper’s Wine Bar. Longmont has one of the few Creative Districts in Colorado, and it’s worth viewing the beautiful graffiti that graces the walls of so many building, making it an extra fun place to just walk around. I love Lunas Cafe for coffee and muffins. It’s tucked between Main and Coffman in the 800 block, and has delicious homemade baked goods and a quaint settings. My cousin and I sipped coffee in chairs outside on one of my birthdays, letting the sun shine on our faces before digging in for our party planning. On my side of town, on Airport Road, there is a new brewery we love called The Beared Brewer with a great atmosphere and a Bloody Mary Lager that I love. We love that we can walk or bike there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I feel incredibly grateful for the support, guidance, and love of an incredible number of people. My brother, Jeremy, shared his resources, enthusiasm, and emotional support with me, making it possible for me to begin this venture in the first place. His contributions have been a bigger gift than either of us imagined. He has own career in Providence–yet we are involved in a shared project now. My cousin, Karina, too, with whom I share other projects, has been an incredible source of learning from and leaning on.
I could not run the shop without my partner, Alister. His knowledge of bikes, eBikes and the industry, experience in service and repair, and incredible customer service skills have elevated the technical part of the shop so that I do not have to worry about those details. One of the best pieces of advice I received early on from one of my customers was to join the Longmont Chamber. The generosity, ideas and support of the people I have met has been beyond my imagination.
And finally, my biggest shoutout goes to my graduate school mentor, Robert Zussman, who probably did not realizedthat directing my PhD meant he would continue to mentor me for life. Robert believed fiercely in me, and gave me the platform to learn to fly. He died in November. Everyday I still talk to him about something.

Website: https://spiceebikes.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spiceebikes/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-wilkins-phd1/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallplanetlongmont

Image Credits
TnP Photos (feature)