Excusing himself to wipe off the bearing grease coating his hands, Bill Hyland doesn't have to utter a word. The fact that Hyland, the owner of Willow Glen's oldest bike shop, still fixes bicycles and helps customers in his Meridian Avenue shop says worlds about the Hyland family's commitment to its business.
It's an early tradition that Bill Hyland inherited from his father, Jim, and it began when he opened the independent store nearly four decades ago.
As the down-to-earth Hyland, a towering man with broad shoulders, talks about his shop, it becomes clear that he also inherited his father's independent spirit.
"My mom tried to warn us," Hyland says. "She'd say, 'If you're self-employed, you work seven days a week, no summer vacations, no retirement plan.' She told us all to go out and get corporate jobs, you know ... have weekends off." Hyland smiles. "But out of five kids, all five are self-employed. Just like my mom was her whole life."
Hyland's mother, Francia, worked at the shop until shortly before she passed away last Christmas. She smiles from snapshots covering the wall behind the shop's glass counter, a wall covered in pictures of family members.
As well she should--it was Bill's mother who led the family shop to its current location. Jim Hyland, Bill's father, opened the shop at Foxworthy and Cherry in 1963, when many still viewed bicycling as a childs' sport. The shop remained there for 26 years--until the landlord decided to double the rent.
"They made my mom cry, so I said, 'We're outta here,'" Bill Hyland says simply.
The move allowed the shop to expand its selection, and inspired Hyland to buy the building now housing the Willow Glen store. Hyland Family Bicycles now features a wide array of bikes for all ages, from mountain bikes and lightweight hybrids to classic beach cruisers.
In the early '70s, when the shop was in its former location, Bill Hyland and his four siblings all worked in the shop together. But by the time the shop moved to Meridian, Bill Hyland had taken the lead.
His father still works in the store four days a week, and now the next generation of Hylands is getting in on the act.
"Three generations of Hylands work together at least three days a week," Bill says proudly.
He says that between the growing popularity of bicycling and the Los Gatos Creek Trail expansion, those three generations and their staff have been quite busy lately. The shop, although it still features vintage '60s bikes, also boasts modern models and a wide range of bike accessories. The Hylands have also made the leap to the Internet, and can be found on the web at www.hylandbikes.com.
One might guess that after growing up in a family that lives and breathes bicycling, Bill Hyland would become a near-pro cyclist. Hyland has won several trophies for his racing skills, but not bicycling. He recently received 7th place at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds' racetrack, and has pictures of his beloved early '70s Camaros dotting his photo wall.
"After being around bikes all week, I like to take a break," Hyland smiles. "I build race cars on the side, and spend my weekends racing."
Hyland Family Bicycles is at 1515 Meridian Ave. For more information on sales and service, call 269-8833.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
