Harley-Davidson is coming to Walla Walla. Located in the heart of downtown, the building formerly occupied by the Brickstone Design Gallery is soon to become the site of owner Michael Shumate’s fourth Harley-Davidson dealership and retail store in the Tri-Cities area.
Nestled on the corner of Main and Colville next to the Coffee Connection Café, the future site of the dealership in the 1905 Breier Building should be fully renovated and ready to open its doors by April, according to General Manager David Archibald.
The store, which will sell apparel, parts and motorcycles, will most likely be opened as Shumate’s or Shumate’s Motor Sports and then become an official Harley-Davidson dealership in late June or July, after the company has been granted permission by Harley-Davidson headquarters.
Shumate, who also owns dealerships in Kennewick, Spokane and Lewiston, had been looking for a location for a fourth dealership for some time, said Greg E. Flowers, co-owner of the Breier Building.
“Our building has a great location: lots of exposure and close to the downtown activities. Of course we also have good storefront display windows, which face two streets,” said Flowers.
Flowers is excited at the prospect of the new dealership. “I think it will help the other businesses downtown by drawing people in. It’s something different than what we already have on Main Street, so it will definitely add some diversity,” Flowers said.
“I think it’s crazy,” said Walla Walla resident Laura Reardon. “It’s going to be loud down there, and I could imagine it getting really bad. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes,” she said.
While a few community members may feel threatened at the prospect of a Harley-Davidson shop coming downtown, most are indifferent or looking forward to the store’s opening.
“I really don’t think there’s going to be much motorcycle traffic on Main Street itself,” said Jeff Parsons*. “Motorcyclists don’t want to ride in a downtown area; they want to ride out in the boonies,” he said.
“I really don’t have a problem with it,” said Book and Game Company Inc. employee Dianne Mosher.
“I know that Harley-Davidson was initially connected to the Hells Angels and other motorcycle gangs, but Harley-Davidson has really evolved over time,” said Flowers.
“Now it’s a nice motorcycle that attracts professional people: attorneys and doctors. I think if you polled Harley-Davidson owners in this generation, it’s not going to be the Hells Angels and the trouble-makers, so I don’t think it will be a detriment to downtown,” he said.
In fact, since an article was published in the Union-Bulletin Jan. 24 detailing the store’s opening, Archibald said he has had three people drive from Walla Walla to the dealership in Kennewick and tell him how excited they are about the new store.
He hopes that the Walla Walla branch will make shopping more convenient for Harley-Davidson fans and improve customer service overall.
*Name has been changed to protect privacy.
