Today we’d like to introduce you to John Vondra.
John, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Former San Diego resident I moved to Houston in 2004. Originally perused a career in audio engineering and got a job working as the morning show producer for 93Q Country in Houston from 2005 to 2011. Toward the end, I had begun riding bicycles for a little fun. In 2011 I went through a divorce sending me into a deep drive to ride more and I fell in love with the sport and all the different aspects like fixing bikes to racing. I wanted a change a resigned from my position at the radio station and took whatever money I had left and gone to the Barnett Bicycle Institute in Colorado Springs to learn the basics of bicycle repair.
I started at Sun and Ski Sports during this time and was thrown into the bike shop where I started learning sales and repair. After a few months, many of my friends that worked at Bike Barn invited me to interview. I started a few months later at the Bike Barn in Atascocita as a mechanic. I worked my way to the sales floor where I really excelled and became one of the top salespersons in the company. I met many great people from all over the industry and learned a lot. I moved my way to the manager where I worked for a few years and spent every day sharing my love for cycling. Anyone from a racer to someone just getting back into shape I loved to show people how this sport can really better your life. The friend you can make to just better and healthier habits.
In about 2015 I met my now business partner Benjamin McQuade. He had moved from Central Illinois a year earlier and quickly made his way in Bike Barn and became the Service manager. He excelled on the sales floor and quickly became one of the best mechanics with is equal passions toward bicycles and the love to fix them to get people back on the road or trail. When it came down to us moving on and starting the shop we would have been ready to open Sept 15th, 2017. A little guy named Harvey interrupted the plans. We were lucky in the fact that it hit just days before we were moving in. We did not loose inventory but we did the loose time.
We spent that next 3 months doing what we could with the graciousness of our regulars we had enough work to keep us afloat till the building was OK to move into. Even when we opened on Nov. 15th it was not easy. Kingwood was still a disaster zone and walk-in traffic was hard to obtain. Coming into 2018 our momentum has only gone forward. We have so far achieved a level of business not seen this early for any shop or store.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? Not at all. Hurricane Harvey upset many people in the Kingwood area. We were lucky to have missed a bullet in some aspects that we had no inventory in the store when the storm hit but it left a long ripple and title wave of obstacles we had to swim through.
Almost running out of money and a home full of bikes and gear was not fun. Fixing bikes in a hot garage just to get our bills paid was not fun.
Please tell us about Tailwind Bicycles.
We are a Bicycle Shop… but, unlike many bike shops, we strive for the ultimate customer experience. We are passionate about bicycles… all bicycles. If you want to have fun around the local bike paths or your next mountain bike race or Ironman we can take care of it all. We do many high-end customs builds to just changing a flat on your Walmart bike. We understand that no matter what it is, a bike can be a special thing for that person no matter what the cost. The customer experience is number one!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Childhood goals and dreams were not the same as where I ended up. My dad was a long haul truck driver and went coast to coast I don’t know how many times. I now spend most of my time planning road trips and wondering where I can ride my bike next. Those memories of driving still stuck with me.
Pricing:
- Recreational Bikes most of our business $400 to $1000
- Kids Bikes $120 to $375
- High-end mountain bikes and road bikes $2000 to $10000
Contact Info:
- Address: 2714 W. Lake Houston Pkwy #120 Kingwood TX, 77339
- Website: www.tailwindbikeshop.com
- Phone: 281-608-7522
- Email: tailwindbcyclestx@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tailwindbicycles_tx/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kingwoodbikestx/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tailwind-bicycles-kingwood?osq=tailwind+bicycles
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
