Hometown is an official drop-off site for the Toys for Tots drive. Between the Marines and Salvation Army, 800 families in Livingston County have a Christmas they wouldn’t have otherwise, thanks to programs like this and the generosity of supporters like the Hometown community.
Toys are for kids up to age 14, and must be new and unwrapped. No stuffed toys, please.
We’re having a Roadies vs. Mountain Bikers competition — fill the boxes! (Currently, the MTB-ers are beating the Roadies 39-22. Step it up, Roadies!)
A room full of Entrepreneurs is a beautiful sight!
Over 25 entrepreneurs and small business owners joined us on Tuesday 12/10 for our Marketing Yourself & Your Business forum. Our Community Room was filled with creative-minded go-getters, a combination of Livingston County business owners and newbies ready to bring their dreams to fruition!
A huge thank you to our wonderful panel of speakers:
This engaging group shared information on building your brand, internet marketing, putting together a cohesive marketing strategy, the importance of networking & more!
Your Hometown ladies, Dawn and Leslie, are big supporters of entrepreneurship so you better believe our next forum will be coming up in early 2020. Keep your eyes peeled!
Hey, Fatties! Thanks for your support of Global Fat Bike Day!
Team Hometown had a fantastic day riding on Saturday 12/7 — it was the 2019 Global Fat Bike Day. Our shop ride headed to Island Lake Recreation Area, with Team members Gary Kulhanek and Gary Weak serving as ride lead and sweep. They were joined by Team members Jeff Wirth and Dennis Doherty and five newbies who were geeked to head out on their first fat bike ride with Hometown.
Other Team Hometown members headed to Sleepy Hollow State Park: Co-Captain Mike Dyer, Tom Hermann, Erik Frazier, and Andy Showerman with his two sons.
Coming Soon: Winter Clinic Series
Beginning January 11, 2020, we will kick off our highly informative and, many times, hands-on Winter Clinic Series!
All clinics will be held on Saturdays at 11 AM at Hometown Bicycles. Stay tuned for more details and sign-up information.
Here are the topics for 2020:
Fat Tire Fix
Emergency Repair
Bike Maintenance – Before the Ride
Bike Maintenance – After the Ride
Bike Fitting Basics with Vinnie Baylerian, PT, DPT, Certified Level 2 Clinical BikeFit Pro
Nutrition: Get Healthy, Get Fit
Where to Ride in Michigan
Ring! Ring! We have a new phone system …
Do not fear. Change is sometimes good!
When you call, you now have the option of choosing which department you wish to speak to:
Press 1 for Service and Parts Press 2 for Retail or any other questions
Same great service, but now we get you right to where you want to be!
Join us at Hometown Bicycles for a fun, engaging and informative program aimed at business owners, start-ups, and entrepreneurs who want to enter the new year with a solid marketing plan.
Meet Our Speakers!
Susan Pominville, Abovo Visual Communications How to tell a cohesive story that communicates the most important aspects of your businessMike Langford, Turtlehut Internet Marketing How to navigate the ever-evolving world of online marketing Colleen Fitzgerald & Blair Bradford, Sky Zone How to create an integrated marketing plan for your business Nicole Dietrich, Lake Trust Credit Union Micro Business Loans to help small business owners bring their ideas to life
There will be time for a Q&A session following the speakers, plus refreshments and time to chat with like-minded folks in our community. Can’t wait to learn alongside you!
Toys for Tots at Hometown!
Hometown is an official drop-off site for the Toys for Tots drive. Between the Marines and Salvation Army, 800 families in Livingston County have a Christmas they wouldn’t have otherwise, thanks to programs like this and the generosity of supporters like the Hometown community.
Toys are for kids up to age 14, and must be new and unwrapped. No stuffed toys, please.
We’re having a Roadies vs. Mountain Bikers competition — fill the boxes! (Currently, the MTB-ers are beating the Roadies 37-20. Egads, Roadies! Santa is watching you!)
Team Night!
Sunday, December 15 from 5:30-7:30 PM It’s that time of year ALREADY?! Time to think about joining Team Hometown Bicycles for the year 2020!
We’re having a grand celebration to recap this year’s triumphs and contributions to the cycling community, distribute awards to our existing (and very awesome) Team members, present information to prospective members on what it means to join Team Hometown, and eat loads of Gus’s mostaccioli and breadsticks!
This event is open to ALL — you will have the opportunity to learn what Team Hometown is all about, join the 2020 Team, and sign up to be a Ride Volunteer. Come one, come all for a fun, interactive and all-around feel good evening celebrating YOU.
What better way to celebrate Global Fat Bike Daythan to join us for a ride this Saturday 12/7. We will be assembling at the shop at 9:15 AM and will leave promptly at 9:30 AM. We’ll be meeting up with plenty of other riders from all over Southeast Michigan at Island Lake Recreation Area.
Hometown Bicycles will be open on Labor Day from 9am-3pm!
Enjoy the beautiful weekend with your loved ones and don’t forget to take a bike ride! Stop in to see us for your holiday cycling needs or to rent a bicycle for the weekend!
And in Team News…
The 13th Annual Maybury State Park Time Trial took place on Sunday, August 25th. Brought to you by the MCMBA, this year’s race was Maybury as you’ve never experienced it before — the course included some awesome race day-only singletrack. The mix of fast open sprints and tight, technical singletrack rewarded both cardio AND bike handling skills.
Team Hometown was represented by Co-Captains Mike Dyer and Joe Ostervik, Jacob Henriksen (pictured above left), Dan Tribble (pictured above right), Roger Pelkey and Andrew Showerman (and his two sons). Great job, everyone!
And because he’s just this amazing (and maybe a little bit c-r-a-z-y), Joe Ostervik did another race earlier that day! Two races in one day?! What?!
From Joe himself: “So I was a little crazy!! Did 2 races in the same day!! I was at the Debaets-Devos Race and got a flat in the 3rd lap. Swapped out the tire and got back in the race as they came by, but couldn’t get back up to speed and ended up last. Then I was able to make it to Maybury and missed the cutoff for the sport class. They let me do the beginner race, but technically I am a beginner in the race world because I only do one, maybe two, MTB races a year. Rode angry and got 1st in my age group which is OLD!!”
Girl Power is Alive & Well at Hometown!
Left to right: Dawn Bhajan (CEO of Hometown Bicycles), Martha Soraruf, Leslie Barrett, Jenny Schild and Debra McGaffey
Fun and inspiration was shared by all who attended the latest installment of our Women’s Entrepreneurship Series on Thursday, August 22. Our panelists were dynamic, our audience was engaged, and we all enjoyed a friendly flow of conversation about building a fitness business in today’s market. There’s not much better than this kind of camaraderie among female entrepreneurs! We at Hometown Bicycles LOVE this!
A special shout-out to Nicole Dietrich, Business Development Manager with Lake Trust Credit Union, for spending the evening with us. Nicole shared information about Lake Trust’s Micro-Loan Program for Small Businesses and discussed the importance of building a network. Nicole (pictured below) even helped clean up the Incubator after Thursday’s forum — just another way Lake Trust displays their dedication to building community and supporting their partners! Lake Trust Credit Union has enthusiastically stepped into the role of Hometown’s Incubator Title Sponsor. In this role, they will not only subsidize the first month’s rent for our first 12 Incubator entrepreneurs*, but will also share a wealth of resources and insights at our entrepreneurship events and programs.
Our Incubator is nearing completion and we cannot wait to share it with you!
Stay tuned for our next Entrepreneurship Event, coming soon to Hometown Bicycles!
* Contact Dawn at office@myhometownbicycles.com for details about the Hometown Business Incubator and Lake Trust Credit Union’s amazing Sponsor subsidy.
Countdown to Tour de Livingston! Sunday, October 6th There are only FIVE weeks until the 2019 Tour de Livingston! Hard to believe we’re looking toward October already!
This scenic ride provides an opportunity for riders of all levels to enjoy outstanding fall colors during the peak color season in southeast Michigan. This fully supported ride includes hospitality tents, a full breakfast, snacks along the route, and a hearty meal prepared by the chef at Mt. Brighton.
All proceeds from this event help to: bridge the gap for local hardworking families struggling to meet their most basic needs; prepare every child to be ready for success; and build a healthy community for all residents via the Livingston County United Way Basic Needs Programs. Since its start in 2008, the Tour de Livingston has raised over $400,000 to address the community’s most critical needs.
The Tour de Livingston is organized and run by the Howell Rotary Club. Hometown is proud to be the Major Bike Shop Sponsor!
Cardio Drumming | Wednesdays 6 PM and Saturdays 9:45 AM$5 drop-in / $5 equipment rental – With Martha Soraruf |Click to learn more
Power 30 | Wednesdays 7 PM $5 drop in – With Martha Soraruf | Click to learn more
Zumba | Mondays 6 PM and Thursdays 9:30 AM – NO CLASS ON LABOR DAY $8 drop in or “10 classes for $60” punch card – With Leslie Barrett | Click to learn more
Zumba GOLD | Fridays 9:30 AM and Sundays 10:30 AM $8 drop in or “10 classes for $50” punch card – With Tresa O’Rourke | Click to learn more
You all know that we’ve been bringing to life a specially dedicated rental space in Hometown Bicycles’ back room – a Hometown Business Incubator, where fledgling business owners can turn their visions into reality. This space is designed to give entrepreneurs a resource-rich home base to launch their businesses, build a following, and get a taste of leasing without overwhelming costs or lengthy commitments.
But we’re not the only ones championing entrepreneurship in our new space!
Lake Trust Credit Union, a company so devoted to supporting local economic development that it formed a Community Reinvestment Team (wow!!!), has enthusiastically stepped into the role of Incubator Title Sponsor. In this role, they will not only generously subsidize the first month’s rent for our first 12 Incubator entrepreneurs*, but will also share a wealth of resources and insights at our entrepreneurship events and programs. Thank you, Lake Trust, for your commitment to local innovation and enterprise!
Get to know the Lake Trust Team that is helping to make our Incubator dreams possible (left to right in Lake Trust shirts): Nicole Dietrich, DeAndre Lipscomb, Rebecca O’Connell, Justin Haun, and (not pictured) Katie Callicutt.
SPONSOR INTERVIEW: Giving entrepreneurs wings!
Tell us why Lake Trust made the decision to be our main sponsor. We try to help our members in all aspects of their financial life. We’re also very dedicated to our Michigan communities and the small businesses that help foster economic development in those communities. Our Community Reinvestment Team was inspired by the commitment that Hometown Bicycles shares with us to support local entrepreneurs. By sponsoring the business incubator space, we saw that we could help our member, Hometown Bicycles, expand this commitment to the community. And we saw that this was an opportunity for us to support other businesses in Brighton, too.
What are some ways you’d like to partner to create a successful and positive experience for entrepreneurs and new business startups? Over the last few years, we’ve added more solutions to help entrepreneurs find success. We now offer micro business loans, which is a great option for new businesses who need funding under $50,000 to get started. We also have a new line of Treasury Services that business owners can use to manage their account. But the most important thing we want business owners to know is that we’re here for them through every step of their journey. We love being able to work with our members to help them reach their goals and find success.
What makes Lake Trust unique? How do you differ from other credit unions and banks? Our business services set us apart from other financial institutions. The decision-making on our business loans happens locally right here in Brighton. We don’t send our business loan applications out-of-state or rely on an automated system to make a funding decision. Our team takes the time to get to know our business members and to learn more about our members’ story, goals, and funding needs.
In what ways do Hometown and Lake Trust share commitment to the community? Lake Trust and Hometown Bicycles are both Brighton-based organizations who understand the importance of supporting the success of local businesses. Both of our teams share a passion for giving back, volunteering, and offering fantastic service. We, like Hometown Bicycles, live and breathe for the opportunity to provide great service and assist people whenever we can. In fact, we collaborated with Hometown Bicycles last summer for a community service project. Our team volunteered to build 42 bicycles for kids in need and the folks at Hometown helped us with this initiative by offering their expertise.
Is there anything else you’d like to share? You can learn more about our business services on our website. Keep an eye on our blog and social media pages to see how we’re supporting our communities in Michigan.
* Contact Dawn at office@myhometownbicycles.com for details about the Hometown Business Incubator and Lake Trust Credit Union’s amazing Sponsor subsidy.
Baylerian’s Bagels, Bikes & Brew: Sponsored by Pro-Motion Physical TherapySunday, August 11 from 9 AM-1 PM
Join Team Hometown Bicycles’ Title Sponsor, Vinnie Baylerian, for a morning chock full of fun. Kick things off at Pro-Motion Physical Therapy with coffee and bagels, head out on a guided bike ride, and wind down with a beverage after at Brewery Becker.
This will be a 20-mile mixed road and gravel ride that includes some 2-track cross-country skiing paths in Huron Meadows. There will be two groups for the ride: An A group for faster riders and B group for everyone else! Team Hometown’s Jack Riddle will lead the A group and Vinnie Baylerian will lead the B group.
“There will be less time on ‘main’ roads and more time experiencing a little fun character,” states Jack. Sounds pretty awesome, folks!
Pro-Motion Physical Therapy is located at 205 W. Grand River.
New! For our hard core gravel riders, join Jack for a bonus/optional 30-mile pre-ride at 7 AM. Meet at Pro-Motion!
Gravel Ride + Monkey Loob Mixer with Lyndsay Stiles!
Wednesday, August 14th from 6-9 PM Join us for a 13-mile Gravel Ride around and through Island Lake and back to the shop! We will then have a Monkey Loob Mixer — demonstration, Q&A about this amazing product, and time to socialize with Lyndsay Stiles, competitive mountain biker and inventor and owner of Monkey Loob, with fellow cyclists.
The ride will take off from our Hometown lot at 6 PM. Gravel, ,mountain bikes or fat bikes are all good — road bikes, maybe not so much for this ride! Helmets required.
Don’t have a bike? Ask about our rental program! We have a fleet of rentals in various sizes.
Women’s Entrepreneurship: FREE Fitness Forum! Thursday, August 22 from 6-8 PM
Our fabulously informative Women’s Entrepreneurship Series continues, this time with a focus onFITNESS.
For new fitness professionals and business owners in the fitness industry (as well as those considering this career path), come spend the evening with inspirational women who will share their business journeys via a panel discussion. Be sure to bring your questions!
There will be food, there will be fun, and there will be fellowship with like-minded women!
Topics to be covered:
Where should I teach?
What should I expect in terms of startup cost?
What is my target client base, and how do I find them?
How do I increase attendance?
What are the best ways to market myself?
When do I throw in the towel and when should I persevere?
Last week, we introduced you to our first panelist, Fitness Coach and Personal Trainer, Jenny Schild with Body Within. Jenny holds a personal training certification from American Council on Exercise (ACE) and YogaFit certifications. Her specialty is getting people started!
This week, meet our next panelist, Hometown’s very own Events Coordinator, Leslie Barrett! Many of you have seen Leslie teaching her Zumba classes at the shop — and that’s because she’s also an entrepreneur who operates Zumba with Leslie Barrett.
As a licensed Zumba instructor, Leslie teaches at multiple locations in the Brighton area. She got her start 7 years ago as an introverted and somewhat timid student in the back of another instructor’s class. As she gained confidence and discovered how life-changing Zumba is, she found herself in the instructor training and began teaching independently of a studio/gym, renting various spots and venturing into corporate wellness programs.
“I love the freedom of being an entrepreneur and being my own boss. I can tailor my business to reflect my own values — integrity, compassion, encouragement — and help others find their own love for fitness through Zumba,” shares Leslie.
Stay tuned to hear who our next panelist is, in next week’s newsletter!
In Team Hometown News…
Doug Lapp is such a good sport — what better Hometownie to share the love of mountain biking with a group of newbies?
Doug volunteered his time to collaborate with Island Lake on Wednesday, August 7th for Intro to Mountain Biking, part of the park’s summer recreation programming. Great job, Doug!
FITNESS CLASSES AT HOMETOWN BICYCLES
Cardio Drumming | Wednesdays 6 PM and Saturdays 9:45 AM$5 drop-in / $5 equipment rental – With Martha Soraruf |Click to learn more
Power 30 | Wednesdays 7 PM $5 drop in – With Martha Soraruf | Click to learn more
Zumba | Mondays 6 PM and Thursdays 9:30 AM $8 drop in or “10 classes for $60” punch card – With Leslie Barrett | Click to learn more
Zumba GOLD | Fridays 9:30 AM and Sundays 10:30 AM $8 drop in or “10 classes for $50” punch card – With Tresa O’Rourke | Click to learn more
Sati Yoga | Tuesdays 6:30 PM beginning August 13 $7 drop in – With Dawn Gaden, RYT | Click to learn more
