Chuck’s Bikes, Kith and Kin Interview
Kith (n.) one's friends, acquaintances, and relations.
Kin (n.) one's family and relations.
Kith and Kin is an initiative to highlight member businesses.
Name of Company: Chuck’s Bikes
Name of Owner: Hank Glowiak
Location, website, email, phone: 45 Bridge St, Morrisville, VT 05661,
(802) 888-7642, http://chucksbikes802.com/
Description of your business/work? We are a community driven bike shop where we strive to deliver everyone the same good service, sales of bikes, and all the accessories they may need at the lowest possible price. And that is no lie.
How long have you been in business? I’ve owned this for almost 20 years now and it’s been in business for over 35.
How did you move to Morristown? Three days after I got out of the Navy I left home, went to Waterbury, and stayed with some friends who moved here before I did. Through channels of friends I became associated with the bike shop. While working for Chuck, one day he had a bad customer, and he’d had it with owning a shop. I said, I’ll buy it and he gave me a price the next day. And the rest is history.
What do you like best about Morristown? There’s trust. It’s pretty communal. If someone see’s someone else’s kid putting themselves in a bad situation, they tell them instead of just let it go by. It’s still a safe place. It’s pretty quaint. We have a pretty good outdoor environment- kayaking, fishing, biking, hiking- all at an arrow’s shot away. Because a stone’s throw is a little too close; an arrow’s a little bit further.
What new business would you like to see move to town? I’d like to see Thai Orchid come back. That was so good. New business? I would like to see anything other than a bank or Chinese restaurant or pizza place or a dollar store.
What is on your wish list for the next five years of your business/career? Keep doing the same thing but better. Stay in business, really. They need to start taxing the internet and then it’ll be a level playing field again. Brick and mortar shops are getting killed by that.
Personal background: My family is Polish and I am the first generation to be born in the US. After I graduated from Bristol Eastern High School in CT, I went into the Navy for nuclear engineering. After that I moved here and started a bike career. I’ve always been an environmentalist in a lot of ways. I’ve been with Caitlin Mahoney for 19ish years and we have a son, Oliver, age 3.
What was your first job? Cooking and working the salad bar at Bonanza in Bristol, CT.
What was your most fun job? Raising my son Oliver is my most fun job.
Favorite quote? ‘You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.’ It covers everything.
If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive, who would it be and why? Nelson Mandela. Boy, that or someone that’s been on top of Everest. There’s so many people I’d like to talk to. Even Obama. Maybe Trump and give him a good civic talking to. He needs a person to give him a realistic perspective.
What book did you read last? Polar Dream: The First Solo Expedition by a Woman and Her Dog to the Magnetic North Pole by Helen Thayer.
Wild card? It’s the environment. It’s so important, it is the biggest pyramid. Any effect of it trickles down to everything below it- health, money, agriculture, migration. It has an effect on any cause. I’m not a scientist but I think a lot.
