It was back in July of ’07 when I first heard that a vintage scooter shop was looking for new diggs somewhere in Downtown Buffalo. Since that time, the owner of the shop, Percy Oaks, has been growing Buffalo 66 on Main Street and it has come time for him to take his next step. Percy has decided that the time is right to open a new scooter showroom downtown, but in order to do so he is looking for a partner. He recently had the opportunity to move to Detroit, where an investor was going to set up a shop for him. He opted not to make the move because he believes that the time is perfect to do the same thing in Buffalo.
I asked Percy what it would take to get the expansion off the ground and the figure surprised me. “A bare minimum investment would be $50,000. I get 5-10 calls a week during the warmer months… people looking for the newer models… you know, the basic hop on and go rides. With the price of gas… and of course Global Warming concerns, this is the type of businesses that is flourishing in cities like Detroit and Cleveland. The Genuine Scooter Company based out of Chicago has been prompting me to get into the modern, shifting Stella scooter models and the twist ‘n go automatics. But in order to move forward I need a partner who believes that Downtown Buffalo is in need of a scooter shop.”
National scooter sales have jumped 250% throughout the country over last three years. And the number of scooter owners is growing. Percy also thinks that Allentown is ready for a scooter shop… or even Elmwood. A shop in a progressive commercial district would most likely thrive. “A new scooter runs $1400 all the way up to $5000,” he told me. “I won’t sell bikes any cheaper… those bikes break down easily and are impossible to fix. It’s a fun business, you meet great people and there are there are scooter clubs in Buffalo that organize group rides… this is definitely a lifestyle business. The City should be promoting the scooter culture for a number of reasons… parking issues alone! There should be designated parking spots or allowances for scooter parking – other cities are already way ahead in this regard.
If you know of anyone looking to get into a cool new business that has the potential do grow… drop Percy a line. And let’s hope that the city can land a cool new scooter shop.