ST. PARIS – It’s about the only bike shop around these parts, but it’s a welcomed one.
It is owned and operated by Tony Whitman, a first generation namesake of the famous local Whitman’s Bike Shop chain that operated for years in the Dayton area.
“Back in 1970 my uncle started the first Whitman’s Bike Shop out of his basement and would eventually expand to five stores in the area. We had stores in Dayton, West Carrollton, Beavercreek, Huber Heights and Englewood. I left the business full-time in 1997 to pursue a career as a full-time firefighter/paramedic,” said Whitman.
“I worked for the City of Troy for about 6 years and then for the City of Sharonville for 19 years. So after retiring back in February my wife gave me about five weeks in the recliner,” and then said: “You need to go do something! So here I am. I’m back in the bicycle business and couldn’t be happier!
“With all the original stores closing back in 2000 (everyone just kind of got burned out on it), my cousin Sandy opened a new Whitman’s Bike Shop in Miamisburg about 2-1/2 years ago,” he said “I would stop in a few days a month and help her out and it re-sparked my interest in the bicycle business. This pretty much sealed the deal and convinced me to go back to running a bike shop.”
Whitman likes to call his new shop in St. Paris a “regular people ” bike shop, not that he can’t do high-end bikes, but caters more to the average cyclists. “If you want something better than a department store bicycle but you’re not looking to spend thousands of dollars, then that’s where we come in,” he said. “We also sell a full line of e-bikes and service everything we sell. We can also do special orders and we service any bicycle, no matter what brand or where purchased.”
Local residents already love the bicycle shop.
“It’s nice to have a local bike shop especially when you live in a small town. I’m really glad he decided to open a shop in St. Paris, ” said Roger Hart, longtime St. Paris resident, cycling enthusiast and bike path advocate.
When you walk into this store you know you are in a professionally-run bike shop. Whitman has a large range of bicycles (road, mountain, etc.) with diverse brands and he even stocks the popular ebikes. If you are looking for parts he stocks just about anything you would ever need. They have it all here: repairs and service, bikes, used bikes, accessories, components, apparel and even financing.
So, stop in and check out Whitman’s Bike Shop. You will feel right at home. You will be welcomed by the chief greeter, Lacy, a rescued American pit bull mix that Whitman and his wife Christa adopted from the Miami County Animal Shelter when she was 12 weeks old. Whitman and Lacy are members of SAR Inc., a search and rescue team based out of Fletcher, Ohio. Lacy plans to get certified in June next year as a search and rescue dog.
The shop is located off of Main Street in St. Paris; look for the orange canopy, you can’t miss it.
The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., also by appointment, 937-663-7107. It is located at 106 S. Springfield St., St. Paris, Ohio 43072.
