Vespa dealership fills demand for low-cost transportation

Steve Tuchschmidt and his sister, Katie, come from what they call a family of “motorheads.” Steve started riding a dirt bike not long after he learned to walk, at age 3, and Katie started riding at age 10. When they were teenagers, their parents turned their passion into a profession and opened Mid America Harley Davidson.

So when Steve and Katie’s uncle suggested they open a scooter dealership in Columbia, it seemed a natural way to roll. Their parents’ dealership had already taught them the ins and outs of small business; all they had to do was take the initiative. The two decided to buy a Vespa franchise, and in August of 2008 they opened the business on Broadway.

“We recognized the national trend and felt the business would be successful here in Columbia because of its small urban feel, its very liberal residents and its dedication to making the town more green,” Steve said.

Italian for “wasp,” the Vespa is named for the buzzing sound it makes when cruising along city streets. Despite the depressed economy, or perhaps because of it, that buzzing is being heard more and more often. Steve said they’re riding a nationwide rise in the popularity of high-mileage, low-cost scooters.

Overall scooter sales in the third quarter of last year rose 50 percent from the same period in 2007, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. Paolo Timoni, CEO of Vespa’s parent company, sees an economic basis for the surge in sales, according to a recent report from ScooteringUSA com.

“We are in the most severe recession in this country’s history, and consumers don’t want to spend,” he said. “We will see consumers looking across categories for opportunities to save, including on transport.”
With a pricetag between $2,000 and $8,000, a new Vespa costs a fraction of a new car or truck.

A Vespa gets between 70 and 100 miles per gallon, compared with a range of 14 to 24 mpg for most cars and trucks and 40 to 60 mpg for motorcycles. As a bonus, Vespa’s fuel economy also helps the environment. High gas mileage is directly linked to lower emissions of carbon dioxide, which is a common cause of air pollution.

Max Jaben transferred to the University of Missouri from the University of Florida, where he said “about 50 percent of the student population” had scooters.

Jaben bought a Vespa 150 Sport at the downtown dealership and said he’s not surprised to see the trend migrate to this college town: “They’re fun, easy to drive to class and around town, a no-brainer to park and, maybe best of all, the gas (consumption) is next to nothing, especially compared to my pickup truck.”

Jaben said he rides his scooter 80 percent of the time.

In addition to being eco-friendly, relatively inexpensive and requiring fewer trips to the pump, Vespas also have a fun factor that intrigues their owners. While Dennis and Peggy Zimmerman like the convenience of easy parking and the efficient gas mileage, it was the fun of zipping around their Jefferson City streets that convinced them to upgrade from their 50 cc scooters to twin Vespa 150s in October of 2008.

“We’ve ridden scooters for five years now and just love it,” Peggy said.

Both in their sixties, the Zimmermans are retired, although Dennis still works part-time at Enterprise car rental and often rides his Vespa to work. Peggy uses her scooter for small errands and the two frequently take weekend rides around town.

“We definitely get looks because here we are, two older folks on Vespas,” she said. “But we just smile. We get a lot of questions too, about the gas mileage and price mostly. That tells me people are interested, and the popularity will just keep growing.”

In addition to Vespa scooters, Vespa of Columbia also carries Genuine Scooter Company products including Buddy, Stella, Roughhouse and Rattler scooters. The dealership draws a wide spectrum of customers, both in age and geography.

“Our youngest client is 17, and our oldest is 94,” Katie said. “We get a lot of business not just here in Columbia, but from St. Louis, Kansas City, the Lake, Jeff City, Moberly and Macon. All over, really.”

Their nearest competition is at the Lake of the Ozarks and in Kirkwood, outside of St. Louis, although Vespa of Columbia still draws customers from these areas, Steve said. Since its opening last summer, the Vespa shop has done well, Katie said.

“During warm months business was great,” Katie said. “Things slowed down during winter months for obvious reasons, but we expect a jump again now that things are warming up.”

The business partners buy radio advertisements and hand out flyers on the MU campus and around town. But Steve said, their best advertising has been word-of-mouth.

“I really try to make sure that everyone that comes to buy a bike from us leaves with a huge smile on their face,” he said. “Those are the people that will tell their friends about the great experience.”

Katie says working with the Vespa brand can be tricky because Vespa’s business model requires franchise owners to purchase their merchandise a year in advance.

“Because we were just starting, this was tough,” Katie said. “We weren’t sure exactly what to order. We didn’t know what would be the most popular – what we should order more of, what we should order less of. We just kind of went with our gut.”

The Tuchschmidts, both in their twenties, are thrilled to have their own business, and their passion for two-wheeled vehicles keeps the business going strong, Steve said. While Vespa of Columbia is currently a two-person operation, Steve and Katie hope to expand soon and bring on additional employees.

“Riding is one of our favorite things to do in the world. We love it,” Steve said. “And now we can share it!”