SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Business

Witch Ride helped lure biker-gear store

By Amanda McGregor
STAFF WRITER
Published: October 14, 2008

SALEM — From baby bibs and piggy banks to leather jackets and tank tops, there is a dizzying plethora of Harley-Davidson merchandise — and it's flying off the shelves at the new Harley store on Essex Street, in the Museum Place Mall.

Bruce Rossmeyer's Harley-Davidson opened a shop in Salem two months ago. It doesn't sell bikes on site, but offers Harley clothing and accessories, including new products customized to Salem.

"At our main store (in Everett), we noticed we had traffic from the North Shore traveling down there," said Michael Sienkiewicz, general manager. "We knew Salem always had a big concentration of motorcycle riders, so late last year we decided this would be a good spot."

Not surprisingly, new Harley T-shirts emblazoned with a Salem witch have been wildly popular, featuring a voluptuous woman in a pointy hat, a fringed black minidress with spaghetti straps, and black-and-orange-striped thigh-high stockings.

"We sold 400 T-shirts in the last week and a half," Sienkiewicz said last week. "We just ordered another 1,000 witch T's. ... It's definitely exceeding our expectations. It's funny, everyone told us what Halloween (season) would be like, but it's nothing like you imagine until you see it firsthand."

While the store is new to Salem, its connection to the city has deep roots. This weekend will mark the 20th annual Harley-Davidson/Muscular Dystrophy Witch Ride, when thousands of motorcyclists ride from the Everett store up the coast and flood into Salem.

"This is one of the biggest charity rides in New England," Sienkiewicz said.

It raised $38,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association last year, and organizers hope to nearly double that for the special 20th anniversary ride, which will conclude with the first post-ride party, to be held at Shetland Park, with food, live music and a Halloween costume contest — as riders are known to don costumes for the occasion.

Bruce Rossmeyer's is raffling a motorcycle for the cause, which has already generated $20,000, according to Sienkiewicz, who manages the Bruce Rossmeyer's stores in Massachusetts.

Fourth Massachusetts store

The first Bruce Rossmeyer's Harley-Davidson store opened in Daytona Beach, Fla., and has continued to expand to become the world's largest Harley dealer, according to Sienkiewicz. There are 14 stores in Florida, Mississippi, Massachusetts and Colorado.

Bruce Rossmeyer himself is based in Daytona, but he will be at the Witch Ride on Sunday.

"In Massachusetts alone, there are 37,000 registered Harley riders," Sienkiewicz said. The Everett store sells 1,000 bikes a year.

Salem is the fourth store in the state, and the company chose the Museum Place Mall for its location.

"We did our research for traffic flow here and on the waterfront," he said, "and we picked here. It's easier for parking bikes, and we're trying to cater to our clientele."

When shoppers enter the Salem store, they are instantly enveloped with Harley memorabilia. Rock music pipes through speakers in the ceiling, and there is a sleek desk in the back with two computer terminals where customers can peruse the bikes sold by Bruce Rossmeyer's.

"When you say you sell Harley, you're also selling the brand of a lifestyle," said Sienkiewicz, who has been riding motorcycles for 15 years — Harleys only, of course. "The clothing is part of the bad-boy image, and now it's stockbrokers and lawyers who want to play the part on the weekends. It's everybody's inner child."

Sienkiewicz said female riders are the largest growing market — the number of women purchasing Harley-Davidsons has risen 40 percent in the last two years.

The economy has dampened sales of high-end motorcycles, but Bruce Rossmeyer's has been selling more of the less expensive bikes. Prices range from $5,000 to $35,000.

"Any bike will get 40 miles per gallon plus," Sienkiewicz said. "With gas prices, we've noticed a lot more first-time riders."

Kid stuff

He hopes to expand the Salem store sometime next year.

"We'd like to be more rider-oriented instead of just fashion," Sienkiewicz said.

For now, shoppers are scooping up the Salem-themed Harley merchandise. The Salem shop is also bursting with children's Harley T-shirts, stuffed animals, caps, mini bandanas and more.

"The kid stuff is huge," Sienkiewicz said, "and any women's items."

Sienkiewicz said the short New England riding season, from April to October, fosters camaraderie among riders, who often participate in charity rides and bike nights — like the Witch Ride this weekend.

"The ride kind of gave us a push to get a store up this way," Sienkiewicz said. "It's a really nice area for riding."

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