ER nurse recognized for his 18 years of military service, work at St. Agnes
Popping its way to success in North Central Wisconsin
September 23, 2022
SUAMICO – For those who’ve ever participated in a group bicycle ride in the Green Bay area, chances are they’ve seen either Matt Fisher or Laura Grovogel in the pack.
The couple said it’s that love of biking that led them to take a “leap of faith” in starting the Suamico Bike Company, located at 1790 Riverside Dr. in Suamico.
Grovogel said she wants the shop to be known as one “everyone feels comfortable going to.”
“We don’t want to intimidate people or make them feel bad for having limited bike knowledge,” she said. “Our motto is, ‘Regardless of what stage of life you’re passing through, there is a bike for you.’”
Grovogel said even though the shop gears toward all riders, that doesn’t mean you won’t find high-end racing bikes.
“We’ll have entry-level bikes for beginners, but also have $10,000 bikes for avid riders and racers,” she said.
Northern need
With about 10 bicycle shops in the Green Bay area, Fisher said Suamico Bike Company is in the perfect location, with the closest shop being about a 10-minute drive away in Howard and nothing to the north or west for miles.
“We took the location seriously,” he said. “We did demographic studies and had it narrowed down to De Pere, Suamico and Wrightstown. When another shop opened in De Pere, we crossed that location off the list. Wrightstown was a bit iffy, so we went further north and chose Suamico.”
Even though it might be considered a small detail, Fisher said you can’t take for granted ample parking – something the shop has.
“With some of the local (Green Bay area) shops, parking is a major pain in the butt,” he said. “We have free public parking within a short walking distance and parking near the shop.”
Matt Fisher, left, and Laura Grovogel are co-owners of the Suamico Bike Company. The shop officially opened for business Sept. 10. Rich Palzewic Photo
Fisher said areas to the north of Suamico are putting in more mountain bike trails and organizing gravel events, which has the potential to bring business to Suamico Bike Company.
“We can hopefully become the king and queen of the northern side (of Green Bay),” he said. “We can pull from the Green Bay area, but have Suamico and to the north covered. With the Mountain Bay (State Trail) and the (Brown County) Reforestation Camp close by, there are gravel, mountain and (winter) fat bike options. In winter, you can also (ride a) fat bike on the Suamico River.”
The Mountain Bay is an 83-mile crushed limestone/gravel trail passing through Brown, Marathon and Shawano counties and is the longest rail trail in the state – going from Howard on the east end to Weston (near Wausau) on the west.
The Reforestation Camp offers mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding trails during the warmer months and fat biking and cross-country skiing trails when the snow flies.
The building
Fisher said the process of finding a building for the bike shop started about 18 months ago.
“Several desired buildings in the Vickery Village area initially looked promising for lease or purchase, but they ultimately didn’t work out,” he said.
Fisher said he and Grovogel “stepped out of the batter’s box for a bit and took a deep breath” before the building where they set up shop became available.
“(The building) dates back to the 1920s,” he said. “It was owned by the grandparents of Rebecca Cleveland, the previous owner of the Bike Hub in De Pere. A successful auto garage ran in the building up until the ’80s. After that, it was sold and rented out.”
Fisher said his dad is also a commercial architect and lent his expertise to the project.
“My dad has helped greatly,” he said. “We stripped the building down to the shell before rebuilding it.”
The shop is open, however, Fisher said thanks to supply chain issues, there are a few final touches that are still waiting to be finished – including a glass garage door, which he said was ordered when there was still snow on the ground.
“Now I’m told it won’t be here until November,” he said. “That will be a cool feature of the shop.”
Fisher said another unique feature of the shop are the sliding glass doors at the entrance.
“I’ve worked at other bike shops, and it’s cumbersome to bring a bike in and hold a door open at the same time – especially maybe for older people,” he said. “E-bikes, which are becoming more popular, are heavy. I’ve also seen the first scratch on an $8,000 bike come from it hitting a door. This way, customers can wheel their bikes in with no problem. (The sliding doors) were worth the investment.”
Grovogel said the shop also features a lounge area and a bathroom with a shower.
“We want to separate ourselves from other shops and have a community feel,” she said. “Even if you’re not buying a bike, you can come in and talk about bikes and feel welcome. We’ll also have a top-of-the-line coffee maker. If you rent a fat bike, head to the camp and then meet your family at a restaurant in Suamico, it’s an option to take a quick shower before heading to dinner.”
Grovogel said another unique feature in the lounge area is the kegerator.
“We’ll have complimentary coffee and beer, maybe for a donation/tip – it’s a way to socialize,” she said.
Solid financial backing
Fisher said being located in Vickery Village and being a part of its strong vision for downtown Suamico gave them a leg up when they embarked on their entrepreneurial journey.
“Dr. Jon Henry has been instrumental in this process,” he said. “He owns many of the buildings in Vickery Village, so we partnered with him. He wanted to make sure something like a bike shop would succeed. He’s the purchaser of the building, and Laura and I will buy in over time. We are extremely grateful for Jon and Annette Henry’s support during the process of developing the building. Dr. Henry said he’d like to maintain that interest for the first few years, for sure – to make sure it fits the vibe of Vickery Village. After it takes hold, then I’d think he’d be willing to let it go.”
The Suamico Bike Company is currently open six days a week – from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. Rich Palzewic Photo
Fisher said another local couple also has a stake in the business.
“Laura owns 40%, I own 40% and the Ashleys own 20%,” he said. “Mark and Kris Ashley own Station 1 Brewery. Like Dr. Henry, they are invested in the development of Vickery Village. They believe a bike shop (that succeeds) across the street from their brewery would be good for their business. They helped us raise some capital. Mark Ashley has been a big help in the process of opening a business. We’ve been fortunate for the support around us as this project has evolved.”
Bikes – a tough business
Grovogel said she and Fisher have never been business owners, so it’s been an adjustment.
“There have been some sleepless nights – not going to lie,” she said. “To help finance things, I’m keeping my full-time healthcare job, and Matt will be the face of Suamico Bike right now.”
Grovogel said some days, owning the shop is the “coolest thing that’s ever happened.”
“Other days I wake up and ask myself, ‘How are we going to sell all the bikes we have?’” she said. “I think that’s normal anxiety – we have lots of experience with bikes and solid support around us.”
Fisher said as a business owner, some days are good, and others are more stressful.
“Laura and I work well with and off each other,” he said. “Sometimes when she’s feeling more stressed, I’m the rock – and vice versa. Some days we both hit the panic button, especially when we’re putting together an order of large value.”
Though he’s used to putting large orders together in a few hours, Fisher said it’s different now.
“I’ve looked back and forth between two colors (of bikes) more than I ever have,” he said. “Is the blue one going to sell better than the green one? Things that took me an hour, are (now) taking a day.”
Fisher said there can be a common misconception among the public that bike shops “get rich from selling bikes.”
“That’s not the case at all,” he said. “Selling bikes is not where the money is at – there’s a surprisingly low margin there. We make more money selling accessories than selling bikes. Labor is also good for a shop. Servicing the bikes people buy is a specialized art.”
Fisher said the plan is to do as much as they can alone before deciding if they’ll need to hire help.
“We’re not against hiring help, but I think it’s smart business to do as much as you can first before reassessing,” he said. “We’ll keep it small and tight, at least for the first year. I’ll have my hands on every (bike) build. We have high standards for service, repair and builds.”
Special brands
As Grovogel said, the shop will carry bikes of all shapes, sizes, brands and prices – including the Finna Cycles brand, which is based in Barcelona, Spain.
First started in 2013, she said Finna exclusively sold its bikes in European shops, but that changed when they agreed to allow Suamico Bike Company to carry their brand – the first bicycle shop outside of Europe to do so.
“Finna has been around long enough to trust them,” Grovogel said. “They’re not going anywhere and have a strong presence in Europe. They’re awesome-looking bikes, and you get higher value for the dollar.”
Finna specializes in gravel and urban bikes.
The shop also carries the Liv brand – which is specifically designed for women.
“It’s a full-spectrum brand,” Fisher said. “They pretty much have every model of bike and casual clothing, helmets and accessories.”
Fisher said the store will also carry a bike they designed themselves.
“We’ve designed our own titanium fat bike that we’re having Sage Bicycles out of Portland, Oregon, help us with,” he said. “In a matter of days, you’ll see the ‘Sage Suamico’ in the shop. They were on board with the name. With them being a West Coast company, many of their bikes are named after trails and rides out in that part of the country. They think the Midwest theme fits titanium fat bikes. We’ll be the exclusive carrier of these bikes, and if we make a big scene about this, Sage ownership said they might put them in their artillery.”
Hours, rides
The shop is currently open six days a week – from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.
“We’ll be closed on Monday, but that may change based on demand,” Fisher said.
Grovogel said Suamico Bike Company will also start organizing rides soon.
“In line with most of the bike shops in the area, we’d like to offer group rides with varying disciplines, speed and distance,” she said.
