By Lulu Connors

If you haven’t stopped in J&P Cycles in the past few months you probably aren’t aware of their recent updating and remodeling. I got to tour the newly revamped 15,000 square feet showroom and was impressed by the “shop ability” of the recent changes. Not only have they revamped the look, more importantly they have dramatically increased their local inventory.

Troy Porter, Retail Manager for J&P Cycles, Inc. was kind enough to take time out to tell us about some exciting changes they are planning for the future which includes possibly adding a service department that will do installs of parts purchased at the store. Another important element in the store’s changes is that each department’s employees are able to listen to the customers and if there is an interest in specialized inventory the employees pass that on to Dan & Sean, the Ormond Beach store supervisors, and they strive to add it to the inventory purchases. Troy stated, “Our employees have many years of experience in the industry and knowledge of what our local customers want and need. To me that is more valuable than a computer generated spreadsheet.” As the store has evolved they have seen a need to expand the Metric line’s inventory and plans are to do just that. In addition to re-merchandising the entire clothing section, they are completely refreshing the Sick Boy line they carry.

Along with the showroom, they have onsite a 5,000 square foot warehouse that houses inventory they keep on hand for their customers and a second warehouse offsite to handle the quickly moving items so they don’t have to wait for shipments to satisfy their customer’s needs. They also have onsite a call center, so when you need to call in with questions or to locate items, you are likely to get your answers locally!

Another new perk is they have started a 10% discount for in store purchases made with a military ID or VA card to thank the service of our military. I personally have observed a new involvement with our local community of bikers, and an example is their involvement with Iron Horse’s Tuesday night Bike Night that is developing starting in January 2013.

Troy, who has been with J&P for over eight years, put the recent rumor to bed that the Ormond location might be leaving. Troy’s exact words were “I anticipate growth! We have just increased our inventory significantly and are going to be here for our customers’ needs. In the future we hope to even expand by adding another retail store in another state.” He also hinted, “The changes are not done and something big is still to come”.

John and Jill Parham took a business that started as a traveling swap meet and evolved it into the most well known motorcycle parts and accessories multi-channel business. J&P’s retail stores in Ormond and Anamosa continue to evolve to meet customer needs. The Ormond location employs 99 and 200 are employed in Iowa. Even though John and Jill have retired they are happy to see their dream continue.

As a consumer I can say I am glad to have them in the Ormond Beach area. Their staff is knowledgeable, helpful and nice. I purchased my leather saddlebags, rain gear, a windshield, a suitcase, Sick Boy tops and Christmas presents all in the Destination Daytona location. So put this on your list to get those gifts for under your tree!