by Bailey Basham, Messenger Staff Writer

A little over 25 years ago, one of Sewanee’s most beloved fixtures opened its doors and began rolling out rides to University students and community members alike.

What began in October 1995 as a satellite of Tullahoma’s then J&M Bicycles, Woody Deutsch opened Woody’s Bicycles and got to work. The timing was right, and Deutsch, who has always been an avid cyclist, said he had some ideas of his own about how to run the kind of bike shop he wished he could frequent himself.

That shop was in Winchester, right on 2nd Avenue, where the shop stayed until 2008. Deutsch said when he first started, he had one goal — to pull things off.

“At the time, there was no notion of me being the sole owner of a retail business. I had no experience in retail sales, but I wanted it to work. I was the mechanic and the salesperson, and J&M Bicycles provided all the goods — the bicycles, clothing, accessories and parts, and they did the bookkeeping. This was the perfect way to start to learn the business,” he said.

Deutsch said it was about a year into his running the Winchester store that the owners of J&M decided to sell. Deutsch decided to go all in and become, as he put it, the “owner, chief cook and bottle washer” of Woody’s Bicycles.

Deutsch operated the Winchester store for 13 years, moving locations three different times, though never far from the original location. In 2008, Deutsch made the move to Sewanee and has not moved once in those 13 years on the Mountain. He has, however, collected plenty of lessons in entrepreneurship over the years.

“I was told that it takes five years for a new business to start making money, and I found this to be pretty darn accurate. I refer to the first five years as paying tuition for business school,” he said. “Over the years, I’ve learned the importance of knowing my customers and treating everyone the same. Just because something is hot in California does not mean the people of Franklin County, Tennessee, will care for it. Closely related, just because I love something, it does not mean the people of Franklin County, Tennessee will. About 80 percent of my customers just want to have fun on a not too expensive, but strong, relatively light, good-handling bicycle.”

Deutsch said he’s also learned the importance of having a great business partner.

“Woody’s Bicycles owes a lot to the innovation, imagination, and the pure magician-like talents of Brian Schaefer. Brian, the other guy at the shop who has been with me for 21 years, has been running the show from the outset of the pandemic, and he is truly capable of making something out of nothing, fixing the unfixable.”

Deutsch said those are just a few of the lessons that he’s taking with him into his 26th year in business. Though there is still no way to know what this year holds, he plans on doing what he does best and letting his love of cycling speak for itself.

“Initially last March when the pandemic took hold, I had no idea how Woody’s Bicycles would survive. The months that followed has, ironically, turned out to be the busiest time in the shop’s history,” he said.

“It’s really one day at a time. We do plan to keep a close eye on increasing our bike rental business, which will come with the influx of visitors coming to the Mountain Goat Trail, the Caverns, and ample space for outdoor recreation Sewanee has to offer. One thing that I do know is that our future will be to continue to help our customers in the best way possible. When we show up at the shop, we bring our best selves. It’s our job to be helpful and make the customer’s experience a good one. They are paying me, and I want them to be happy with what they receive. I want them to trust me enough to come back.”

Woody’s Bicycles is located at 90 Reed’s Ln., in Sewanee. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Get in touch with Woody and Brian by calling (931) 598-9793, or go to www.woodysbicycles.com.