Landers Toad Suck Harley-Davidson opening in Conway
Landers Toad Suck Harley-Davidson will soon have a home.
The dealership, which is scheduled to open in March, is slated to move to the old location of Caldwell Toyota on Collier Lane. Bill Shirey, general manager of the business, said they are looking forward to being a part of the Conway community. Jones Harley-Davidson, a North Little Rock dealership, held a sneak peak offsite location sale at the Landers building which is currently under construction. Shirey said they had outgrown the North Little Rock store and will be closing it as soon as operations can be moved.
He said he expects the business to expand at the Conway location, which will cater to several motorcycle enthusiasts’ interests. On site will be Arkansas’ largest motor clothes department headed by Pam Oneal, a shop with certified Harley mechanics, certified sales representatives, a large customer area with a coffee bar and pool tables, space for rallies and weekend events and there are rumors of a diner opening on the property. Also there will be a Rider’s Edge course where new cyclists can learn to use their bikes safely or more efficiently under supervision of a contracted instructor. Bikes for the course will be provided by Landers.
“We plan on being involved in the community by hosting events and rallies to serve enthusiasts in the area,” Shirey said. “Conway is a good fit with its growth and the way the population is going. It’s also right off the interstate. We’re the gateway to the Ozarks.”
Shirey said there are many opportunities for scenic rides on the edge of Conway. Several customers, employees and supporters from the North Little Rock store are Conway residents. The dealership plans to host Saturday rides starting in Conway to various locations around the state. Landers Toad Suck Harley-Davidson has access to more than 150 new and pre-owned bikes, at least 60 of which will be under the roof of the 14,000-square-foot building. The sneak preview sale, which began after Christmas, has already brought out-of-state customers from Interstate 40 from Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Mississippi according to Shirey. Oneal spoke with out-of-town customers who bought shirts and commented that the name’s inclusion of the words “Toad Suck” prompted them to stop there.
Shirey expects that if the support shown to the Harley dealership so far is any indication of how business will be, he “can’t wait to get here.”
(Staff writer Courtney Spradlin can be reached at 505-1236 or by E-mail at courtney.spradlin@thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit.)
Why Conway?
Why Conway???? Versus North Little Rock?? Seems a strange choice......
I can't help but wonder how Conway proposes to handle the influx of rivers of "bikers" chuntering down E. Oak St. along with the other hundred million vehicles per day that it sees. Not to mention the huge noise pollution factor......but then I'm beginning to think that I am one of a handful of residents who still have their sense of hearing.
Guess we'll see how this works out......
..Trin..
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"Ju Jitsu......I'm going to learn Ju Jitsu?"
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OH GREAT.....
THIS IS JUST GREAT.. SO.. IS CONWAY THE NEW STURGUS.. NOW I WILL NEVER GET ANY SLEEP. THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS.. CONWAY IS GOING DOWN HILL... TAB APPROVING ALL KINDS OF STUFF.. ITS AMAZING HOW HE KEEPS GETTING VOTED IN ..
landers
i was interested until i read landers yuk!! I guess it was a matter of time before they came to conway we do have the crain team now in town that is why i went to heber springs to buy my new car.
Landers
This is a good day for Conway. A quality motorcycle dealership with quality people involved in the management. Conway can only benefit from this move by Landers. Congratulations to "Toad Suck Harley Davidson" of Conway, AR
Ad rates
So who decides which area businesses have to pay for ads, and which ones get free advertorials like this "news story?"
It wasn't too long ago that the LCD published a special staff-written tab every year that was specifically for advertorials. Now the advertorials wear the flimsy guise of front page news.
I AGREE @SCOTT
I SURE WAS THINKING THE SAME THING.. I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE AFTER CHRISTMAS SALE "NEWS".. THEN THEY WENT TO TELL YOU WANT STORES HAD WHAT.. HMM.. I WONDER WHERE THE BOMBING ATTEMPT WENT THAT DAY.. (I DONT KNOW, I DONT READ LCD) BUT MY DOG HAS FUN POOPING ON IT.. HEY REPORTER.... HOW MUCH FOR AN AD.. I MEAN.. NEWS COLUMN.
rivers of "bikers"??? the new sturgis???
Use a little common sense and educate yourself before spewing preconceived ideas.
Welcome to Conway Landers Toad Suck HD!
Ignorance must be bliss, eh?
@ djoneeye & Trin:
Loss of sleep?? Where are you sleeping, under the 127 overpass or in one of the nearby motels? The nearest residential area is more than a city block away, not to mention that Harley-Davidson sales & service is NOT a 24/7/365 affair. Get real!
Noise pollution?? Are you kidding me? Have you visited that area on foot lately? It faces a major Interstate highway and shares an exit with another major US highway, both of which have a ton of heavy truck traffic already. Any additional "noise polution" from a modern V-Twin engine will be a "whisper on a scream" at worst. Interestingly enough, no one seems to be complaining about truck noise in the area. Could that be because the gas exploration industry is propping up the county's economy? Landers HD will also be making a financial contribution to Conway's economy at a time when it's most needed.
The New Sturgis?? Oh, please!! Toad Suck Daze -- 'nuf said!
To Landers Toad Suck Harley Davidson: Welcome to Conway!! Most folks are glad you're here, or should be!
Well put BOHICA
Very valid points indeed.
Can't wait to see it opened.
Can't wait to see it opened. The biggest problem I see is traffic on Oak Street. That interstate exit and traffic in that area is already over capacity most of the day.
I'll probably never own a Harley, but can't wait to get a Toad Suck Harley T-shirt.
AR CHL Instructor
Agree with BOHICA
Very well said BOHICA.
Landers Toad Suck Harley Davidson
What a great name, it will get state wide notice, and if you do not know about bikers, they do good things for the people, and conway is full of them already, sorry for the people that did not know this.
People stop complaining!!
I'm almost to the point I'm going to stop reading the paper...because of all the people pissing and moaning about everything that has helped our community. Everyday someone is complaining about the Gas Industry, Alcohol, and now a Harley dealership thats in our town. Get real people. If it were not for all this..Conways economy would be in sad shape. Yes I work for the Gas industry, drink beer and ride a Harley. To hear this people tell it I'm going to spontaniously combust at any moment. I'm trying to think of a place that all these folks can go to get away from the demons and evil going on here. You know come to think of it I have not heard anyone complain about all the extra sunday traffic caused by the hundreds of churches in this town.....and yes I also go to church.
Next thing we will hear is about some motorcyle gang in town....lol
great article
great article
Bobby M Kelly III
indliving.org
Strange name
Long name. Why Landers Toad Suck Harley-Davidson ? Hopefully that not the official name. I don't know Toad Suck and Harley-Davidson just seems like a clash of the image of the company. Toads and motorcycles? People stop whining already. New business is better than the alternative. Would you rather read about business leaving Conway? You all act like this store is going to cause Conway to be over ran by a motorcyle gang or something.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day!
Sounds like a great store.
Sounds like a great store. The only thing missing is an address. Referring to locations as "the old ______" is only useful for people who have lived in a town long enough to know what you are talking about. I suppose I can research it for myself or just drive down Collier Lane, once I find it on a map.
As for biker noise, I love the sound of a huge pack of motorcycles rumbling by. I doubt that will be a common occurrence, though. It's not like they're opening a strip club or a drug den. It's a business with a coffee bar, people. Get a grip! Would you be griping if it were a golf cart store or a hybrid electric dealership? I don't think so.
just4fun
Great way to put it.............
Motorcycle Shops
For the uninformed, there are already two motorcycle dealerships in Conway; Freedom Suzuki and Duncan Outdoors (Yamaha & Kawasaki), there have been no motorcycle issues with them being in town, sheesh. A Harley Davidson store in Conway is awsome, and the marketing opportunity between the Toad Suck and Harley name is pretty cool..
Having a Harley store in town does not turn a city into a "Sturgis". Harley shops are generally more upscale dealerships when compaired to the metric brands because Harley's typically are more expensive, bringing in more affluent customers and the corrisponding tax revenue with it. Interestingly, most Harley riders are not "bikers", they are most likely business men and women who have the disposable income to afford a $15,000 to $35,000 motorcycle. It'll also be a good draw for those driving through the area, lot's of travelers down I-40 will stop for a "Toad Suck Harley" t-shirt just like many people collect "Hard Rock Cafe" t-shirts from all over the country.
All in all, if you're not into Harley's, you won't even know it's there. If you are, it's a pretty cool addition to Conway.
Harley Therapy
If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand....
Welcome Toad Suck Harley - you should have moved here years ago... You got my money anyway... looks like there will be more spent.... its better spent on chrome then things less tangible.
You never see a Harley parked outside a Psychiatrist office.. my bike is my therapy... even a dog knows why we face the wind...
Ride free....
An American Icon
Harley is one of the most recognized names in motorcycles and I agree with an earlier post also. If anyone has been in a Harley dealership, they are most certainly an upscale dealship. Some even deal in home decor. The fact that resident of PA have made the drive ALREADY speaks volumes to the type of business that we are getting in this town. I welcome Harley-Davidson to town!!
Calm down
"Use a little common sense and educate yourself before spewing preconceived ideas."
I am very sorry if I for some reason offended anybody. How much education does one need exactly before commenting on the above article? I am told that there is a Harley-Davidson dealer moving in to a vacant showroom in Conway, and that they are also - in addition to the bike sales - going to be offering facilities such as coffee bars, diners, rallies, weekend "events", bike learning courses and acting as a starting point for weekend "rallies" into the surrounding countryside. That is all the education I need. In no way do I need to learn the ins and outs of a modern-day Harley Davidson engine to comment on the proposition. I think we all need to remember and attack the issue at hand, rather than the poster.
I am aware that there are other motorcycle vendors in Conway - but I don't believe any of them seem to offer such a large and comprehensive range of activities as this one is saying it will. This is what worries me - it is beginning to sound like something more than a showroom.
I do not live under the I-40 overpass nor do I live in one of the motels on E. Oak St. - but I do live within an area that could reasonably be affected somewhat by this new bike showroom/Harley rally post. I don't care if they sell their bikes there - I DO care about the impact on traffic on the already grossly over-capacity intersections near where I live, and I DO care if my personal time at home is going to be interrupted by hordes of bikers screaming up and down Conway's streets. Those are just my concerns. I'm not saying they should be everybody's, I'm not trying to make you believe what I believe, and I'm not saying that I believe Conway should turn away from every development opportunity (of course we shouldn't). I'm just a concerned citizen with a few worries being in the local area, that's all.
The unfortunate reality of online forums is that they do tend to grow rather hostile rather quickly, and it is very hard to convey human emotion/intention through a keyboard.
..Trin..
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"Ju Jitsu......I'm going to learn Ju Jitsu?"
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Calm down
Trin,
Just so you know there are many Harley and other bike riders that already have rides out of Conway. A lot of these "Bikers" do a lot of charity work. Just last week there was a Bikers toy ride to the Conway Hospital and many toys were given for children in need of Christmas. They are also a big part of Toys for Tots that raised seven semi loads of toys for families in need. Although I'm not a member...I have attended the bike show..etc that was put on at Chic Filet by the Bikers against child abuse group. Also there's the Patriot Gaurd that escorts funerals for fallen soldiers and veterans. This is only a small examples of what "Bikers" do for thier community and country. So just think about all this the next time you see one of us "Bikers" with our load pipes which helps you know we share the road by the way and remember that the majority of us are Proud Americans! As for the traffic problems....maybe we should outlaw strip malls...lol Last time I went to shoe store by Target I was almost trampled by women buying shoes!! Not to mention the traffic and lack or parking!
I think its cool we need a
I think its cool we need a hells angels clubhouse for the guys. Its cool not just department stores anymore . The name is dumb but that fits with Conway overall ,,, maybe Conway will become Fun
elite spade
99%ers
We would all feel MUCH safer in a room full of bikers, than a room full of Lawyers....
What have YOU done for our community lately?
Toad Suck Harley Davidson
Great job on the article - Courtney!
Having a Harley Dealership right here in Conway is awesome!
I actually ride with Bill Shirey and lots of other business Owners right here in Conway. We plan on having our own Harley Chapter here once the Store is up and going. This is a really good addition to the City and will help support our local economy!
Congratulations Landers Harley Davidson!
Landers HD in Little Rock and
Landers HD in Little Rock and NLR is the most unfriendly dealership's I've been to...bar none. I'll still take all my HD business to Doolins in Texarkana. Toad Suck HD will be like putting lipstick on a pig.....it's still Landers
Looking forward
to seeing a congregation of any kind in Conway. Interesting things happen when people gather. Bikers seem to be interesting on their own and as a group, mostly involved in philanthropy.
?????
Do all people from Arkansas complain this much all the time about dumb stuff?? I mean really?? Its just a dealership get a life people!!
WEEKEND RALLIES.. AND EVENTS...
IS THAT WHAT THEY CALL DRINKING OUT IN PUBLIC.. EVENTS.. BIKERS DOING GOOD.. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ALL THE SHOWS ON TV.. GEEEZ... THIS CITY IS GOING TO BE INSANE. HOW ARE WE AS NORMAL CITIZENS GOING TO SURVIVE. I HAVE A BAD HEART.. WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO WHEN THEM PEOPLE GO BY ME.
Dont watch so much tv.
Djoneeye you really shouldnt watch so much tv come down there when they open up at their grand opening party and see what the majority of bikers do and are. Talk to some a little and you will find that most are just hard working people like more than likely you are and they love their country and will always be their to lend a hand to those in need.
Toadsuck Harley
As a member of the ToadSuck chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse, I say Welcome Harley Davidson!