We dated seriously for 2 years before tying the knot in a beautiful rose garden. Our daily routine was for me to drive straight to the bicycle shop after working in St Louis. At first I was terrified of being asked to help customers with cash register, questions, test rides etc. I would stay under the radar and make small talk mostly unrelated to cycling with customers awaiting help. This routine worked for a while until one day Shel was in the back room crying because she couldn't keep up! The shop was so busy and popular that many times there were no breaks. I couldn't handle her crying so I stepped up and jumped in! I started learning everything that I could about cycling and the industry in general. I have always been a well organized person and grew up in a family business, so there was potential. I bought a notebook and started observing everything trying to figure out a game plan. I realized quickly that her inventory was a mess, signage was limited and customers were confused. I thought to myself if we make the bike buying experience an user friendly, fun, family experience with no headaches and provide free information that our income and popularity would rise rapidly. I presented the plan to Shel and off we went. We spent all our time together working side by side helping customers, recreating store layout and loving every minute of it. Shel and I really didn't have time to go on a real date because the retail store consumed our time. We didn't care! We were healthy and together! The bonus being our plan worked! Little did Shel know that a traumatic brain injury would change her life forever.
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