A Fun Place for Local Bikers to Hang Out

Today I visited a local Everett, Washington business that I had read a lot about. It was a delight. The place is called ‘Old Strokers Motorcycle Works’. It is located at 2816 Hewitt Ave, Everett. The store has been in business for almost 2 years.

When you walk inside the shop there is an instant cozy feeling, which carries through the whole place. The owners are Randy and Sandy Morris who were very friendly and sat and talked with us for quite a while. The store carries all kinds of motorcycle related gear, although on a small scale. They strive to only sell locally made merchandise, artwork, and clothing. There were some really unique items that caught my eye as I surveyed the goods.

We walked to the rear of the store, which has an espresso bar, snacks, and lots of comfortable seating. There were lots of people just hanging out there, exchanging biker stories and enjoying each others company. Some of them were from a local VME (Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts) group and they were older riders with lots of history behind them. These guys also were talking about playing motorcycle soccer! That was something I hadn’t heard of. The walls are covered with local racer photos, vintage posters and artwork, and just a lot of interesting things to look at. There is also a fireplace to keep everyone warm and cozy this time of year.

The shop organizes weekly meetups and rides when the weather looks good. They have movie nights, dinners, and other social events for bikers to keep busy with during the winter. There are a couple of women’s riding groups that meet there also, one of them being the Chrome Divas.

I don’t live real close to Everett, but I will definitely go back, hang out, and have a latte. Even the coffee is from a local independent vendor who roasts his own beans! It was one of the best lattes I’ve had in a long time. They are also adding a small kitchen so will serve sandwiches and such after March.

If you are ever in the neighborhood, the shop is located just a few blocks off of I-5 and has lots of parking. I like to support the local economy so I stand behind the small businesses in our area. Old Strokers doesn’t have a website, but their My Space page is at www.myspace.com/oldstrokers. Their hosted rides are posted on Meetup.com . Check it out.

Want To Meet Others With Your Interests?

I was directed to a new website by a ‘friend’ on Biker-or-not, another social website for bikers and people who like hanging out with bikers. He has a motorcycle shop that is less than a year old in Everett, WA and is organizing rides and events and having lots of success so far. I plan to write about his shop when I visit it this coming weekend.

The website he mentioned is Meetup.com. No matter what your interest is, there are people in groups around the country that are meeting up with similar interests. If you search for motorcycles, there are oodles of motorcycle groups and meet-ups for rides galore. It turns out there are a couple of riding groups near Seattle and various riding groups associated with the motorcycle shop in Everett. This group posts all of their events so you can plan ahead and see what you want to attend. The Meetup.com site is organized so that you can accept, or tentatively accept an invitation so the planners have an idea of how many will be coming. There are photos of past events and rides, and it makes you feel like joining a group because it looks like so much fun.

The website is easy to find your way around, and is set up very well. You can search for groups that are in your local area. This seems like a good way to meet others with the same interests as you, and actually meet in person and not just online. Check out the motorcycle groups here.