Jim Fisk has a belief that no one should ever leave a bike shop unhappy

DIXON, CA (MPG) - There are bikes lined up in the middle of the store, hung from the walls, and draped on bicycle stands. Peeking around the corner of a half wall, a man with white hair and mustache with a wrench in hand is hunched over an upside down bicycle adjusting a bolt. Three other bikes line up like obedient school children waiting their turn for his magical hands.

Walking into the older building housing Fisk's Cyclery on Adams Street, there is a warmth of a family bike store with boxes of 'balance bikes' for the 18-month old, bikes for youth, teens, young adults and even bikes with motors to help senior citizens go further on less pedal power. Jim Fisk has a belief that no one should ever leave a bike shop unhappy. So, he hasn't let anyone for 45 years.

How It Started

Growing up in a home of four boys in Fairfield, he was never want of physical activity and especially loved riding bikes with his friends. He was "one of those kids" that was happy to take things apart and put them back together.

With a father from the small town of Willows and a mother from big city San Francisco, he says he got the best of both worlds, but marks the summer between 4th and 5th grade as the coming of age. He learned the importance of self-sufficiency, he explained, when he wanted his Dad to go somewhere with him and his Dad could not because he said had to go to work.

"I suddenly realized life wasn't a free ride," he said about his Dad standing ready to leave the house in uniform. After that, Jim always had a way to earn some money, even bagging at the commissary, and that gave him a sense of control over his destiny despite his Dad, an Air Force pilot and working mom were not needy, he explained. They put three of his brothers through college but Jim wanted to open a bicycle shop.

It was the 1970s and there was a bicycle boom. He did his homework and learned that with three shops in Fairfield and three in Vacaville but none in Dixon, his location would be here. He was only 21 and had already been a Lucky's Manager when they helped him--giving him the money they would have spent on his college--to open inside the large metal building behind Rohwer Insurance on North First Street in the heart of downtown Dixon.

"It just seemed like a natural fit," he said about his many years in Dixon. "My Dad came and helped off and on [until he passed] so we had good times. I've never been stressed about my work." 

COVID Speeds Business

Later he moved to the Adams Street location and admits that last year, things did get a "little busy." He usually sells 250 to 300 bikes annually but last year--and due to the pandemic making people stay home yet needing exercise--he sold 450.

"I never worked so hard in my life," he said. "I made the right decision to order more from the manufacturers [before COVID-19 was widespread] because then they shut down and I was the only one who had bikes. I also ordered thousands of tires and tubes so people were driving miles to get them from me."

While other shops were taking three to eight weeks to make bike repairs, Jim worked from 7 am to 10 pm, six days a week to stay up on the workload.

"I wanted to make sure things seemed normal to everyone who came in the shop," he said. "My job keeps me healthy with movement all the time and especially 'smart' moving," he added emphasizing ladders, reaching, and lifting appropriately. So he has stayed healthy and managed to keep customers happy from Fairfeld and Vacaville that he'd never seen before. He just got his first vaccine shot and is looking forward to the next. Since his wife has family in Japan, he has been required to get numerous inoculations to go visit them so has "no fear of shots," he laughed.

Success Followed Caring

The man doesn't just work at the shop but contributes to his community as well. He served for 25 years on a committee that created the bike lanes and paths in Dixon, retiring just two years ago when he was certain there was enough "fresh, young blood" to carry on the mission of providing safe routes for riders, he said.

"It was my time and they know more about social media and I was impressed," he said. "It was the perfect time." Jim is 66 and reports that he'll retire at 70.

"What are we going to do then?" his customers ask--especially a lot of boys.

"My first 10-year-old customers are now 55 years old," he says with large eyes as if it is a surprise. Sometimes they are in here reminiscing about when they were younger and shopping in here as kids--that makes me feel good."

He likes the income but pointed to his cash register and said, "If you take care of your customers, this will fill up without you even thinking about it." He likes the customer experience more than anything, especially the interaction--like when he shows the boys how to change a tire, he added.

But it was momentous when his own son was born. Jim and Pam, who had met at Fairfield High but dated several years before marriage, had been married 17 years by that time--they were just busy establishing their own lives before introducing a new one, Jim explained.

"He had a little, 12-inch chrome bike before he was born," he said with eyes that seemed to twinkle like a Santa Claus. Their son, Jake, is now 28 and works with engineers. Jim readily shares that he and his business has been blessed over the years but there is a simple secret for success.

"You do what you say you're going to do. You appreciate your customers and pay attention to them," he said. "It's all about building trust with them. I've served lots of families and now have watched four generations grow," he said with obvious pride.

If you're interested in becoming one of them, call Jim at (707) 678-4330 or check out the bicycles at Fisk's Cyclery, 539 North Adams Street in Dixon. He promises you won't leave unhappy.