New Bike Shop Looks to Build Synergy With Community

For Kevin Fowler, partnering to open the is about more than making an investment.

"It's sort of about health," Fowler said.

The lifetime Portage County resident will celebrate the of his new store in between Kent and Ravenna starting Friday. It opens to the public today.

The idea started to develop in Fowler's mind a few years ago, when he was about 80 pounds heavier and discovered the county's ever-expanding hike and bike trails.

Fowler, 52, of Ravenna said he recognized both the increase in use of trails by the public and the regular additions of legs that connect to The Portage Hike and Bike Trail through Kent, Ravenna and the surrounding communites.

"All of a sudden you're seeing this tangible need for what I call alternative travel," Fowler said.

So he started talking to his partner, Eric Whittington, who ran a bike shop in Canton, about the possibility of opening a store in the Kent area. The partners began meeting with leaders at The Portage Park District, and the cities of Ravenna and Kent.

"Everyone was really enthusiastic about it, so we pulled the trigger," Fowler said.

For Fowler, opening the new shop is synergistic in the sense it combines opportunities for exercise with connecting communities.

They picked a location half-way between Kent and Ravenna for several reasons. Both communities have extensive connections to The Portage. The store is on 's bus line, so riders who need repairs put their bike on the bus rack and hitch a ride to the shop.

The store is already partnering with the city of Ravenna to sponsor several riding events, and Portage Cyclery is helping Kent State promote the  by raffling off bikes on display at the .

Customers in need of a tube change, gear replacement or other repair will find full service wrench-spinning at Portage Cyclery. Brands for sale at the shop include mountain bikes, hybrids and bmx bikes from Felt, Jamis and Haro.

"We've already got a couple really good wrenchers," Fowler said.

The store will include a display area for the Portage Park District to provide information about area bike trails with space for teaching classes or holding special programs. It also will include an indoor demo area for customers to try out a bicycle before buying it.

In the future, Fowler said he would like to see the store expand to include rental programs and possibly a "depot" location where people and students in Kent can have their bikes serviced or borrow a rental.

"We want to know what Kent State wants to do," he said. "We want to take short, practiced business steps where we're all working towards the same goal of making this a service for all that's happening here."

For business hours and store location, visit the on Kent Patch.