WACO, TX — Two bike shop owners, Wilbur and Orville Wright, met success building the first working aircraft.
Now, Shane Howard, a Waco aircraft mechanic, aims to make a success with Waco's newest bicycle shop.
"Bike shops are really kind of a destination spot. Most people look up, 'Hey, where are the bike shops at?' and they go there," he explained.
So, Shane and his wife, Alexandra, worked to make OTB Cyclery different and welcoming to all.
”So we want to make it where families come in and there's something for everyone,” said Alexandra Howard.
Within the last couple of months, East Waco has made big strides with new businesses moving in as improvements continue on sidewalks and other amenities.
The Howards are located in the up-and-coming East Waco neighborhood across the street from the new bank in town, TFNB Your Bank For Life. It's the same area bank president David Littlewood hopes, during these times of low interest rates, to lend money to to help businesses invest and grow.
”Of course if money is cheap, that means you can borrow that money and put it to good use and without a lot of expense, so of course that's very helpful,” said Littlewood.
This neighborhood has begun to see big change, guided by neighborhood input.
The Howards say proximity to mountain bike mecca Cameron Park as well as hundreds of new hotel rooms and apartments coming in at the end of the street make them excited about their location across the Brazos River.
”First time business owners in Waco, but it's been interesting. My husband put a lot of work into the business plan, and then now seeing it to come to life has been pretty neat,” explained Alexandra Howard.
The Howards call their space the perfect size for now.
”The size of the shop and what I plan on doing, I think that it's a good size and space for us to be in... But yeah, I mean that's everybody wants to business to grow so,” said Shane.
If this aircraft mechanic gets even a taste of the success of the Wright Brothers, he says the sky's the limit.
