Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
They want to build custom bikes, but business has been so good for Sweet Home Choppers that they just haven’t had the time.
Since opening in February the store has been filling a niche in the community as well as drawing interest from all over the state, owner Butch Lawrence said.
Lawrence is a partner with Manny Victor Jr. With their mechanic, Starsky Hall, they represent Sweet Home Choppers.
“We have motorcycles, used Harleys,” Lawrence said. “We have new and used parts, apparel, leathers, accessories.” The business is a full-service shop.
“Right now, we’re just getting going,” Lawrence said. Down the road, he hopes to begin doing more custom work, but right now, the shop is too busy with retail and repair work.
“We’re much more successful than we planned on,” Lawrence said.
If they do no other custom bikes any time soon, Victor said, he still wants to build “one crazy shop bike.”
Lawrence is already working on one, a ’48 panhead, he said. After he finishes that bike, they’ll start building them for other people.
“We’re bringing people in from all over,” Victor said of their customer base. That includes Eugene, Salem and Corvallis. People are ecstatic about the prices, which, the owners said, are competitive.
“We shop around to keep our prices low to get everyone into a bike,” Victor said. “Everybody that wants a ride, we try to get them into a bike.”
“We go all out for everybody,” Lawrence said.
They want to grow the business large enough to move it into the bigger building behind the current shop, with 60 to 100 bikes on the floor, Victor said.
As soon as Lawrence and Victor started talking to people about the shop, they had an enthusiastic response from people who own bikes, Victor said. From Corvallis to Sweet Home, there are a couple of small shops but no real chopper shops.
Lawrence came into the business with 30 years of experience in auto parts with the TBA Auto Company, he said. He retired, and after six months he was bored. He and Victor talked and decided to open the shop.
Victor moved to the shop after managing the Point Restaurant for eight years. He built his first bike about six years ago, and he has been riding for about 10 years, he said.
“I got the opportunity to come here and work with Butch and just have a good time doing it.”
Lawrence has been riding for 35 years, he said, and he has built many bikes out of his garage.
Victor said he enjoys “just the freedom of riding,” while Lawrence loves the “wind in your face, the noise.”
“I know parts. I know motorcycles like the back of my hand,” Lawrence said.
That part of the business is no problem, he said. The toughest part has been “learning the apparel,” figuring out sizes and how much to order of each size.
The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, although it has been known to stay open late when a customer needs to stop by but can’t make until after hours, Lawrence said. If someone is traveling through and has a flat or needs a repair, “we’ll stay late and get them going.”
“We appreciate the community supporting us so far,” Victor said. The shop’s customers are coming in every age group, young and old; and local support has been outstanding.
“It’s a great store, absolutely,” said customer Dave King of Sweet Home. “They’re great people, great owners, one of the best in all of Oregon. I think the shop’s been needed for a long time.”