By David Humphrey
Pendleton News
PENDLETON — Phil Marcum rode his first motorbike when he was 12 years old. Some 30 years later, his passion for motorcycles lives on.
Since 2001, Phil and his brother Jeff have owned Marcum’s Racing, 8711 S. State Road 9. The motorcycle enthusiasts occassionally build Harley Davidson’s for clients, but repairing motorbikes is their main line of work.
A poster of the classic film “Easy Rider” hangs on a wall near the entrance of Marcum’s Racing and the showroom is filled with accessories to meet every biker’s needs. Phil and Jeff take great interest in their work and the clients who frequent their shop.
“We are old school,” Phil said. “We want people to come out here and see what we’re all about. You can’t compete with businesses who have thousands of dollars to advertise, so that’s why we keep things simple here.”
Though the Harley Davidson is Marcum’s favorite choice of bikes, Phil loves motorcycles of all kinds.
“I love Harleys,” he said. “That’s my personal choice. But if you like Hondas that’s great. There never has really been a battle between the two. That was the work of the media.”
“The 1990s was the golden age of the Harley Davidson and when chopper building subsided,” Phil said. “People buy a bike and want to make it their own bike. I could build choppers all day long but it will not fullfiil the buyer’s needs.”
Phil believes that the bad boy image of the Harley rider is now a thing of the past, but there remains a mystique about the legendary motorcycle.
“Harley riders now present a good boy image,” he said. “The average age of the Harley rider is 45-year-olds. Our clients are in their late 30s to mid-40s, so things have really changed through the years.”
Like many other businesses in the Pendleton area, Marcum’s Racing has been affected by the bad economy. But Phil and Jeff have their own beliefs on why stores in small towns do not financially succeed.
“We cannot compete with a dealership that has a $12 million inventory,” Phil said. “It is the huge sign outside their place of business that draws people in. People think that an item that comes from a fancy store is better than that same item bought in Pendleton. Spending money outside your own community is the reason behind store closings. If I give a guy down the street a dollar, and he gives a dollar to the next guy, that same dollar is going to come back to me. That is how businesses in small towns work. We need to support one another to survive.”
“Image is everything,” Jeff said. “We have a small shop and people think it isn’t a good place to buy from. But that isn’t true. Owning a small business with very little overhead keeps prices down and we have a lot to offer.”
Phil and Jeff stated that 85 to 90 percent of their client base comes from Fishers, Greenfield and Noblesville.
“We have customers from as far as Terre Haute,” Phil said. “They come here because of our good service and quality of work.”
Though the Marcums are concerned with the nation’s economy, it is their love of motorcycles that keeps the doors open at their business. Phil smiles when reminiscing about his first motorbike.
“It was a Sears 90 motorbike,” he said. “My dad bought it for me and that was when I fell in love with motorcycles. I wish I still had that scooter. It would be worth a lot of money today.”
Pendleton News
September 16, 2009
Marcum's Racing rolls on
Phil and Jeff Marcum have run shop for nine years
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