Meet Dirk Sprogoe | Business Owner

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

Hi Dirk, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I couldn’t have been older than 10 years old, but I can still recall my father explaining to me the lines, the symmetry, the lugs, and the way a beautiful racing bike handles. I couldn’t quite grasp it then, but I would soon learn about all of those things, and with it, a passion for bicycles that has never diminished. Initially I found cycling as a way to “escape”, to get lost out there somewhere, riding my bike became the adventure, where would the adventure take me tomorrow? Those adventures became shared experiences with my brother, and before we knew it, we were racing our bicycles, as our dad had done in Germany in the 1950’s. Cycling consumed us, and our passion soon turned into a healthy obsession.

There is a quote from Lance Mountain, a professional skateboarder, that says, “skateboarding doesn’t make you a skateboarder, not being able to stop skateboarding, makes you a skateboarder”. I suppose I just couldn’t ever stop cycling, and that created an ambition to have my own store, create my own brand, share that knowledge and passion, and I plan on doing that until they put me into the ground.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We’ve built this business over the past 8 years on the principles of team work and work ethic. We’ve been blessed with an absolutely fantastic team of employees. When customers compliment me on our staff, I always answer that they aren’t employees to us, they are family. Each member brings a unique set of skills and a new personality to our store, and we thrive because of those. Our employees are driven individuals, and they have a work ethic that I continue to be impressed by. We’re a better store because we have each one of them on staff. I believe with all of my heart, that if it weren’t for each employee’s contributions up to this point, we wouldn’t still be here. We’re learning everyday that retail is hard, that brick and mortar stores are closing at an alarming rate, but we know that if we focus on our cycling community, that we will continue to be successful

One thing that seems to be a commonality amongst cyclists everywhere, is that when they are visiting a different city, they HAVE to check out the local bike shops. I’ve walked into countless shops, hoping to step into that “perfect” shop. The driving force is to become that “perfect” shop, not just for ourselves, but for all cyclists. We want to offer a surf shop vibe, provide a meet-up and hangout spot for our customers, and we want to educate and inspire everyone that walks into our door. We are built on a foundation where we take our work very seriously, while not taking ourselves too seriously. We focus on the interaction with our customers, not the transaction. We’re all about building our community, and paying it forward.

We often get asked about where the name “Billy Goat Bicycle Company” comes from, and we always enjoy embellishing the story a little bit. The “honest to Goat’s truth” is that we had been struggling, almost to the point of fighting, to find a name for the shop. We had always dreamed of one day owning a shop, but had no idea that it would be so hard to find a name that we’d both be happy with. The list of sub-par suggestions was as long as it was terrible. In fact, it got so bad at one point, that we kind of walked away from the project…….let’s call it creative differences. During the “naming the shop hiatus”, we continued the hope that one day that the pieces would fall into place, and that perhaps it was better not to really force things into being. While visiting relatives in Door County, Wisconsin, a quick drive to Sister Bay was about to change our lives. If you’ve ever been to Sister Bay, then you are probably familiar with Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant. They’ve been drawing onlookers to their restaurant by having live goats grazing on their grass roof for decades. It sparked a name……Billy Goat Bicycle Company. With youthful memories of watching the goats in Door County, as well as remembering goat filled hiking adventures in Switzerland with our Grandparents, we knew we had found a name that was fun, and also very close to our hearts

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is no better way to see the city of St. Louis than by bicycle, and there are so many different places that you can see from behind a pair of handlebars. There are countless things to explore here, and thousands of quiet back streets to pedal along and enjoy the peacefulness of riding a bike. It is often said that we have a little more room to move around in, which is a polite way of saying that we aren’t really that big of a city…..which suits most of us just fine. And while things may move a little slower, we still know how to have fun.

Given that I have a week to spread things out a bit, I would schedule a little bit of cycling and some sight-seeing for each day, and offer something different each time out. One day I would start a bike ride from St. Charles, along the brick roads of the old town, we’d then make our way to the Katy Trail, a rails to trails bike trail, and we’d ride down the wineries for an afternoon of sipping wine and relaxing before making the return trip back to St. Charles.

I’d also spend a day riding in Forest Park. Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States, and is even bigger than Central Park in New York. It provides a bike trail that circles the entire park and along the way you can visit the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Art Museum, The History Museum, the Science Center, and can even go ice skating in the winter at Steinberg’s Skating Rink. You could also catch a show at the Muny or get a round of golf in too.

A trip to St. Louis wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Arch in downtown St. Louis. I’d guide my friend and I around the Arch grounds and then make our way north to the Riverfront Trail. We’d roll along the Mississippi River and make our way to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, and we’d continue riding into Illinois and explore the Madison County Trail System, which offers miles upon miles of trails to ride.

No visit to St. Louis would be complete without visiting one of America’s most exciting emerging Art Districts, the Grand Center Arts District. It’s home to some of the most iconic St. Louis hot spots, which include Powell Hall, Jazz St. Louis & the Jazz Bistro, The Fox, The Sheldon, and The Contemporary Art Museum, just to name a few.

Lastly, I would spend our last day riding through the beautiful streets and small town of Kirkwood, MO. It’s home to us, we love that our business is part of the Kirkwood Community. It’s a small town that just makes you feel like you belong. There’s “main street” running straight through the heart of town, there’s the active train station, there’s the locally owned coffee shop, there’s the farmer’s market, and there’s a feel that will capture your heart. We’d grab some locally made ice cream and watch the sun set over this amazing little town.

St. Louis is a great place to live, and a wonderful place to visit. If you’re looking for the hustle and bustle of a big city, you probably aren’t going to find it here, but you are bound to have a good time. Stop by the bike shop and I will show you a hundred different bike rides that you can do, and see all that our community has to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is such an overwhelming question, as there are countless people that deserve a shoutout. Owning a small business is something that the whole family gets swirled up in, so a huge shout out has to go to all of our family members, we wouldn’t be here today without all of their love and support. My brother and best friend, Sven Sprogoe has put an unbelievable amount of trust in me, and I am eternally grateful to him for all of his help in realizing this dream. I suppose I am saving my special shoutout for someone that probably has no idea that he influenced me tremendously over the years, and continues to be a mentor. Colorado resident, and part time rock star, Steve Capstick has been a huge influence on me, and a friend that has talked me through some dark times, and worked alongside me in some of the best times I’ve ever had in this industry. Co-workers can sometimes be just that, someone you work with, Steve was so much more than that, always encouraging, always laughing, and always treating me as an equal. How can you thank someone that has had that kind of an impact on you? Steve’s the kind of guy that would get more stoked at me doing well in a bike race than I would be about myself. I didn’t realize it then, but I tried harder, I reached higher, and I did better because Steve was in my life. I struggle to find the words to express to Steve what he’s actually provided me with for all of these years, but maybe I can put it this way; If everyone had a “Steve” in their life like my Steve, the world would be a better place.

Website: billygoat.bike

Instagram: @billygoatbicycleco

Twitter: @BillyGoatBike1

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

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/billy-goat-bicycle-company-kirkwood