Johnson's Cycle and Fitness in Wauwatosa have been selling bikes in the community for a long time.
They first opened their doors back in 1939. John Jensen, who owns the store now, got his start when his dad bought it from the previous owner.
"Mr. Johnson started it in 1939," Jensen says. "My dad, growing up in the neighborhood, chose to come work for him when he was in high school. After high school, he went off to World War II. He came back, and Mr. Johnson's health had deteriorated to the point where he needed to sell the business."
Jensen starting working here when he was 14 years old. He's never been through has been a pandemic, where he's seen a flow of customers coming in with bike repairs.
"Bikes became not only hard to get, but they became impossible to get," he says. "Repair work was through the roof, so bikes that hadn't been out of the basement our garage in 20 and 30 years were coming in. We were fixing those. We were selling new ones. Availability on bikes was just terrible, and it got worse as the season went on."
- The List: These Restaurants Are Offering Carryout, Delivery
- Are You Open? Submit Your Business!
- The Rebound Milwaukee: Resources For Getting Back To Normal
They've seen a lot of success over the years, and one of the reasons why is that they carry the best brands in the market according to John
"A couple of manufacturers that we carry, we carry two of the top three brand names," he explains. "We carry Specialized and Giant. They are two huge companies. They make road bikes, they make mountain bikes, they make hybrid bikes, they make kids bikes, and with Christmas, right around the corner we will be selling a lot of kids bikes, we've got them in stock so we're ready to go".
John has been working here for 46 years of his life, and he has a message for the many customers that he's seen over the years
"A lot of people say to you, 'do you remember me?' Yes, I do, we'll we bought these bikes 30 years ago.With a pandemic, they're opening up their garage door, and there they are in the back of the barn, saying we've got to get these things tuned up," said Jensen. "I just hope, and I've said this to a lot of people, I hope with all of the interest in fitness, in getting people out in the fresh air and whatever, that they put them away now, that they all pull them out in spring and get after them again next year."