Tricycles aren't just for the kiddies anymore. These days, they're on the factory floor. And, like most things in life, there is a business for that. It's in Dearborn and thanks in large part to the tricycles, biz is up 40 percent. Imagine that.
Excerpt:
While others in the bicycle industry started to feel the economy's effect on recreational retail sales, industrial tricycles -- heavier-duty tricycles often used indoors in factories -- helped a Dearborn bike shop pedal straight to the top of the online market.
Mountain bikes, street bikes and kids' bikes still hang in neat rows along the walls of the main store, Jack's Bicycle & Fitness, 24308 Michigan Ave., and a bike shop in downtown Monroe. But the three-wheeled cycles nestled near shop windows overlooking Michigan Avenue are key to the business's niche in the market.
After initially selling 150 tricycles when the company jumped into the industrial market in 2005, sales have increased 40% a year, with the grandson of the company's founder now manufacturing the company's own brand.
"I think we can continue to grow at a rapid rate for years to come," said Jack's owner Brian Goocher, who runs the business with his brother, Scott Goocher. "I don't know about 40%, but lots of growth opportunity."
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