Backyard Bike Shop co-owner becomes co-mechanic

After a career in the medical field, Lisa Nichols now turns wrenches and gets her hands dirty on daily basis.

"It's a welcome change after years of sitting behind a desk," she said while attaching a basket to the handlebars of a bicycle she had just built.

Along with her husband, Charlie Nichols, the two sell, rent and build bikes at the Backyard Bike Shop on Longboat Key. They live in Bradenton and have owned the shop for 15 years. But it was not until recently that Lisa Nichols fully grasp the greasy, hands-on, yet much-needed job her husband provides as the only bike shop on the Key.

As bookkeeper for most of her time as co-owner, Lisa Nichols' career kept her away from the mechanics of the business until she decided it was time to add another area of expertise.

She has been learning to make repairs and build bikes since October of last year, a decision she made after feeling her life needed a change of pace.

“For 14 years my involvement with the business was done mostly from home, and my job in the medical field didn’t allow me much free time,” she said. “For 20 years I was a practice manager for an ophthalmologist, but after two decades of sitting behind a desk all day I started to get a little burnt out.”

As the only repair and rental shop on an island, the couple stays busy all season long. And her husband says he can certainly use the help.

“This time of year we stay busy with bike repairs for people living on the island year-round,” Charlie Nichols said. “But here in a few months rentals will start to take off and this place will really start to get busy.”

Backyard Bike Shop also rents out paddleboards and kayaks, along with a variety of different bikes geared toward different age groups and uses.

“We cater to a lot of cyclists, vacationers and locals,” Lisa Nichols said. “This is a family shop with a lot of regulars, too.”

Caleb Motsinger can be reached at [email protected]