Bike Shop Business Rolls Through Four Generations

Tony Blackwood is a third generation South County business owner. Local area bicycle stores, now known as South County Cyclery and South Side Cyclery, were passed down to him from his father, Henry “Bud” Blackwood in 1976.

But St. Louis’ history with the well-known bike shop runs much deeper. It all started in the early 1930’s with Velmo “Chap” Chappuis and a friend. The two opened a small bicycle shop located at Grand and Meramec in south St. Louis. It was called the Meramec Cycle Company.

After just one short year, Chap bought his partner out and went about the business of becoming a widely-respected St. Louis bicycle dealer.

For the next four decades, the Meramec Cycle Company continued to flourish. Surviving through the Great Depression, fluctuations in the economy and several location changes, the shop eventually ended up at 6969 Gravois Road with an additional focus in the wholesale market and a name change to the South Side Cyclery.

Chap eventually passed the business to his nephew Bud Blackwood, who expanded with a second location called , located at 9985 Lin Ferry Drive. He ran the shops until 1991, when he passed it down to his son, Tony. He and his wife, Donna, have been running the show since 1991.

For Tony, owning the family business was never a question; bikes are just a part of who he has always been.

“I raced BMX as a kid and until I was 21,” Blackwood said.

Blackwood said he worked in the store and families often brought their kids, and shared stories of buying their first bikes.

Even at the early age of 13, “I was probably the one in the back, assembling the bike,” Blackwood said.

Now, nearly 21 years later, Blackwood can’t imagine doing anything else. But just like his uncle Chap, Blackwood has seen his share of challenges.

“The biggest thing that I notice changing... and probably the hardest thing is that kids, all they used to do is ride bikes,” Blackwood said. “And a lot of the younger generation now is into all the video games and all the electronics.”

The irony is in the paradigm shift. Young adults who grew up largely on electronics are now recognizing the need for physical activity.

“We see that side shrinking because the kids are not in it as much. We see the adults kind of increasing because they want to stay healthy,” he said.

Still, as an industry-wide trend, fewer kids’ bikes are sold than adult bikes.

“It’s funny because people will say, ‘Does Walmart hurt your business?’ And I’ll say, ‘No, but the Apple Store does,’” he said.

Regardless of the change in consumerism behavior, the Blackwoods are continuing to perpetuate their legacy.

Blackwood admits that sustaining this kind of longevity can be difficult. He says it takes someone with a “real interest in the business” to successfully carry it on. But he is confident that his son has what it takes as he follows in his father’s footsteps.

“He’s been in it, working part-time, just like I did,” Blackwood said.