Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities

EP# 41: Turning Passion into Pedals: Tony Williams' Journey with Reedy Creek Bicycles

• Skip Mauney & Tony Williams • Episode 40

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What makes Tony Williams with Reedy Creek Bicycles a good neighbor?

What if you could turn your childhood passion into a thriving business that brings a community together? Tony Williams, co-owner of Reedy Creek Bicycles, shares his inspiring journey from a dream to reality, and how his shop has become a cornerstone in Kingsport. Discover how Tony and his partner, master mechanic Brian Hicks with over 25 years of experience, have built a welcoming space for everyone—from beginners to seasoned triathletes—and even managed to blend bikes with brews through a unique collaboration with Bays Mountain Brewing Company.

Join us as Tony dispels common myths about the cycling industry, revealing how Reedy Creek Bicycles makes this beloved pastime accessible to all. Learn about their innovative approach to offering both new and used bikes, and even donating them to those in need. Outside the shop, Tony's rich family life, love for music, travel, and gastronomy add a personal touch to this engaging episode. Tune in and get inspired by Tony's community-driven vision and the vibrant life he leads both in and out of Reedy Creek Bicycles.
To learn more about Reedy Creek Bicycles go to:

https://www.reedycreekbicycles.com/

Reedy Creek Bicycles

(423) 765-2770



Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2:

Well, hello, and welcome everybody to the Good Neighbor Podcast. If you're like me and you're a bicycle enthusiast, you're going to be excited about our special guests that we have with us today. I have the pleasure of introducing your neighbor, Mr Tony Williams, co-owner of Reedy Creek Bicycles. Tony, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3:

Thanks, skip, glad to be here.

Speaker 2:

Well, we're glad to have you and we're very excited about learning all about your company. So if you don't mind, why don't you tell us a little bit about it?

Speaker 3:

mind. Why don't you tell us a little bit about it? Sure, so we started in 2013. We were at a different location than where we're at now still in Kingsport, but off of Eastman Road behind Panera Bread. We were there for about five years and then decided to invest in Kingsport. We ended up buying a building in downtown on Commerce Street. We renovated that in 2018. And now we sublease out to Bays Mountain Brewing Company, which is right in the same building as us, and we've been there. So we are, in total, going on our 11th year of business this year.

Speaker 2:

Wow, 11 years. Congratulations. That's no small feat and really cool that you're leasing out to a brewing company. So you know, bikes and brews, that's a pretty cool combination. It works pretty well, yeah, I bet it does. So how exactly, tony, did you get into the bicycle business?

Speaker 3:

You know, from my childhood I always loved riding bikes and I guess in about 2008, 2009, I got back into mountain biking and road biking and a couple of buddies. We were all together and we were talking about the desire to open up a bicycle shop and we actually approached one of the local dealers here to see if he would sell out to us, and we just couldn't come to a deal. So we ended up opening our own, and originally it was three partners that we went in together and now it's down to two. It's me and my partner, brian Hicks. He's a master mechanic. He's been in the bicycle business for gosh close to a year. I think it's 20, 25 years now. I've been a great business partner. That's how we got started into it. It's been quite a journey since then.

Speaker 2:

Very good. What are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?

Speaker 3:

It's interesting the, the bicycle industry and and the the market is different than, say, the car business. We are not necessarily a necessity, um, you know, like cars, you got to get the oil changed, you got to get the tires, you got to buy new tires, and that's just a part of life, whereas sometimes cycling is is more of an enthusiast sport and people are funny. You've got serious enthusiasts and then people that come in and they're always funny. They're saying I'm not one of those serious cyclists but I want to ride a bike again and we cater to everything. You know all of that in between.

Speaker 3:

We love the first time riders. We love the triathlete that comes in, that this is a huge part of his life. Athlete that comes in that this is a huge part of his life. But I think the misconception is that it's a really expensive sport or we only sell high-end bicycles, and that's not necessarily true. We do a lot to get riders started and we try to sell used bikes. We actually have people sometimes donate bikes to us and we actually give those away to beginner riders or people that need them because it is their mode of transportation. But I think maybe I don't know I think that's probably one of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to be a real serious writer to come in and enjoy or just purchase items from our shop, and we cater to anybody and everybody.

Speaker 2:

So outside of work, Tony, what do you do for fun?

Speaker 3:

I've got two kids, a 10 and a 15 year old, and my wife, so family's a huge part of what I do outside of work. I also love to play music and go to concerts and listen to concerts. I love to travel, love to see new things and experience, love food as well. One of the big things about cycling is it doesn't allow you to eat whatever you want to eat all the time, but it definitely allows you to burn calories and enjoy the food afterwards a little bit more sometimes. But yeah, I think probably family is the biggest thing. My daughter's into volleyball. My son is kind of all over and hasn't decided what he's in yet, but we do a lot of traveling for some sports.

Speaker 2:

And yeah, I think that takes up the rest of my time right now Food family. That's a great question, definitely. So let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or a life? Yes, can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you've overcome. That's made you stronger in the end. Does anything come to mind?

Speaker 3:

for just to make it through and make the right decisions. We've done a lot. I also have another business that I run is a calibration business, and so juggling the time that you have is probably. I mean, man, it's a tough place to be to juggle everything.

Speaker 3:

I think one of the hardships of small business in general is probably that you don't have a manager saying, hey, we're going to do this and we're going to do that. You are the manager and you are the custodian and you are the marketing director and it's kind of a 24-7 job to where you're always thinking about it and and if you go on vacation, uh, you don't get paid time off. Really, you actually end up losing money and paying more to go on vacation because you have to do more work when you come back. But with those hardships, with those hardships, those things come with a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment of you're in a great community and you're providing services for people that could change their lives drastically. We've seen it a lot. So there's a bunch of give and take. Pinpoint one thing but just I think and everybody can agree with this is time management, and life takes hold sometimes and it's hard to manage.

Speaker 2:

I'm sure, I'm sure, wow, very impressed. Running two businesses, that's impressive, but I'm sure it's a definite demand on your time. So, tony, if, if, uh, you could think of one thing that you would like our listeners to remember about your bike shop. What would that be?

Speaker 3:

uh, one thing to remember is, um, that we're more about the community that we provide, that we love, love, what we do. Most of the time it's not always easy, but you know, everybody's got to pay the bills and that's tough sometimes, but it's a labor of love for us and so we really enjoy it.

Speaker 2:

Very good. Well, how can our listeners learn more about reedy creek bike shop?

Speaker 3:

um, you can follow us on all the social media stuff. We are on instagram, facebook. We have a website at reedycreekbicyclescom and stop by the shop. We do all kinds of events. We have weekly rides Coming up in November. The second week in November we'll do a swap meet where people can bring out all of their old equipment. We put up tables and bike racks and let you set it up for free. We don't take any part of your sale unless you run it through our credit card system. But, yeah, we usually have food and drinks and everything and it's a good time.

Speaker 2:

Very good, very good. Well, tony, you don't know how much I appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your partner and your business and your family all the best moving forward. Thanks for being on the show today. We wish you and your partner and your business and your family all the best moving forward. Thanks for being on the show.

Speaker 3:

Thank you very much, really appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom. Or call 423-719-5873.