Everly store offers bonanza for bikers seeking the right fit

Nobody can say Tara Patrick doesn't believe in herself.

The owner of Backroads Biker Leather Shoppe in Everly was told by a small business expert in 2006 that her store would never make it in a town with a population of 600. Fourteen years later, she's still laughing.

"He said I was stupid to do it in Everly and it wouldn't last six months," Patrick recalled. "He said, 'Don't you understand that location is everything for retail?' I laughed at him and said that he didn't understand bikers. If bikers have a reason to get on their motorcycle and ride somewhere, they'll go."

That theory has proven true. Patrick has grown a loyal customer base at her retail business, which specializes in selling leather jackets, patches and other apparel to motorcycle enthusiasts from near and far.

The business was born out of circumstance. Patrick moved to Iowa in the early 2000s to care for her ailing mother, Joanne, who was dying of cancer. She had previously worked in insurance for Aflac in Idaho, but needed something to do after relocating to the Hawkeye State. She started selling electronics and other goods on eBay when opportunity presented itself.

Patrick had always wanted a leather biker jacket and was able to purchase them at wholesale price thanks to her retail sales permit. She ordered several and resold the ones she didn't like at a profit, which made her think.

"They sold a lot faster than the electronics," she said. "So I thought, hmmm, I'm on to something here."

Patrick started selling jackets and other biker gear out of her home, but quickly outgrew the cozy amenities. She eventually secured a storefront in downtown Everly after encouragement from friends and fellow bikers, and she's remained there ever since.

Outside of vendors at motorcycle rallies, Patrick said there are very few retail stores that specialize in biker wares.

"We have a pretty loyal local customer base that come in to see me," she said. "Then we also have groups that'll make a couple trips here a year from Sioux Falls, Omaha and Minneapolis."

The business' initial sales came primarily from online purchases. It's evened out over the years, and Patrick said about 50 percent of purchases are from walk-in customers with the remainder coming from her website.

"There really isn't any other place that carries all that we carry," she said.

Patrick is a rider herself, but it hasn't always been that way. She was "on the back" of most bikes for a majority of her life, but her mom – who was kicked out of nursing school in her youth for riding a motorcycle – pushed her to grab life by the handles when she reached the end of her cancer battle.

"When your parent is at the end of life like that, you have a lot of in-depth conversations," Patrick said. "She asked me how come I had never gotten my motorcycle license. I said I don't know, Mom – kids, life, family. She said that before she died she wanted me to get a motorcycle. So, I went out and bought a motorcycle."

She's logged thousands of miles and made countless friends along the way. Patrick is thankful she stumbled upon the business opportunity, and she doesn't plan on turning back.

She's happy at her current location and intends to stay in Everly, even though many people have asked her why she doesn't move to the Lakes or Spencer.

"It's centrally located and it's about the cost," she said. "You can't beat the rent in Everly."

Patrick works full-time at Polaris and operates Backroads Biker Leather Shoppe outside of her day job. She processes orders every day and has four other people that help her out at the store.

The business also sponsors two charity bike rides each year – one to benefit upkeep expenses for the Clay County Freedom Rock and another to raise money for the Shayla Bee Fund. She said helping out is just part of biker culture.

"Bikers are a unique breed," she said. "They're always willing to help someone in need."

Patrick's business is one of the most unique retail shops in northwest Iowa, and she intends to hang tight in Everly as long as her customers keep coming.

After all, she's been defying the "experts" for 14 years.

"I've always been the type of person that if you tell me I can't do something, I'm going to do it just to prove you wrong," she said.