About the DFBS
When Jon Hughes was 12 years old he was the best salesperson in the family bike shop - surprising customers with his wealth of knowledge (for someone so young!) and perfectly putting customers on bikes they loved riding. That's probably because bicycling is part of Jon's DNA. He's the third generation to make it his business for one simple reason:
He loves bikes - riding them, selling them, making them work perfectly.
A few fun fact highlights about Jon Walden Hughes.
Attended his 1st Olympic Games in 1984. At 12 months old, he was mostly amused by the pomp and circumstance.
At age 3, rode a two wheeler without training wheels, a skill his parents forced him to show off at the World Championships in Colorado Springs.
As a junior level racer, placed top 10 in the U.S. National Championships.
Enthusiastic ride leader and trail buildier for Junior Olympic Mtn. Bike Team
Michigan's Festina Series Champion in Mountain Biking
Ride Leader at the Walden School of Cycling in Flordia
Participated in the building of the 1996 Olympic Velodrome in Atlanta
Crew leader on velodrome builds in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Qatar, China
Graduate of Michigan State University.
Honed mechanic skills at different bike shops in the region
Jon's family histoy dates back to 1939 when his grandfather Mike Walden (A Ferndale High School grad) turned his passion into a career and opened Continental Bike Shop in Detroit at Six Mile and Livernois. During the 50's, he also had a shop on Woodward in Ferndale. Eventually, Mike's interest focused on coaching and he became one of the best in the world, inducted in the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.
Jon's parents - Dale and Christine Hughes - operated Mike's shop (now under different ownership) in Hazel Park and then opened WaHu Bicycle Company in Rochester, which is where Jon's passion started to bloom. The Hughes' also organized the Tour de Michigan bicycle race series, and Jon (and his two brothers, Chris and Max) always came along to watch.
There's a lot more to this story - just ask Jon - but at the end of the day his decision to open the Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop was driven by his passion for bikes. He hopes to share it, spread it and nuture it in a place that already feels like home.