A LONG-STANDING Harley-Davidson dealership has begun the search for a new owner.
After 74 years, the family-owned business has decided it’s time to change hands.
Northern News NowThe owner of a Harley-Davidson dealership is retiring and hopes to find a new owner[/caption] Harley-Davidson Sport CenterThe storefront of the Harley-Davidson Sport Center in Hermantown, Minnesota, which is at risk of closure if it cannot find a buyer[/caption] GettyThe dealership has been owned by the same family for 70 years (stock photo)[/caption]The 33,000 square foot Harley-Davidson Sport Center in Hermantown, Minnesota has been an institution in the Duluth suburb for decades.
Lined with historic photos, classic bikes, and Harley-Davidson memorabilia, the Harley-Davidson Sport Center is as much a museum as it is a bike shop.
Richard Kachelmyer purchased what would become the Harley-Davidson Sport Center in 1951, and the business has remained in the family ever since.
Now they say it’s time for a new owner.
Richard’s son Dennis has run the shop with his wife Suzanne since 1997, following the death of his mother.
One of the bikes on display in the store, a blue 1946 FL Knucklehead with a red sidecar, was Richard’s personal vehicle.
“I grew up in that red sidecar,” Dennis told Northern News Now.
“Before 1968, Dad did not have a car to drive.”
Dennis, now in his 70s, has been working at the shop since the 1960s.
A black-and-white photo posted to Facebook shows Dennis painting the storefront as a child in 1966.
The store was originally located by Lake Superior, before the Kachelmyers relocated nearly seven miles inland.
Dennis and Suzanne announced in a December Facebook post that the shop would be closing permanently.
This week however, the shop went up for sale.
Despite their decision to wind down the business, the couple announced that they would be filling existing orders, honoring gift cards, and liquidating the remaining inventory.
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Hundreds of customers, former employees, and Hermantown residents expressed their gratitude for the family business on Facebook.
“This is bad news for the biker community. Good luck to all the employees who are affected by this. Hopefully somebody comes through and buys this business for us owners. We have no other option close to us for our bikes,” one shopper wrote.
“Thank you for many of my motorcycles and 73 years of unforgettable memories!” another fan commented.
“Too bad, many memories from this place, great service & great people,” another wrote.“Good luck all, you will be missed.”
The change of ownership for Sport Center follows a trend of Harley-Davidson dealership sales and closures.
Earlier this year, a dealership in Topeka, Kansas changed owners after 75-years of ownership by the same family.
In December 2024, a Rock Hill, South Carolina dealership was sold by the family that had owned the shop since 1961.
For family-owned businesses facing economic hardship – like the Hermantown location – the decision to sell isn’t an easy one.
“It saddens us to react to these challenging economic times, being faced with the difficult decision to close our doors and wind down the business,” Dennis and Suzanne said in the Facebook post.
“It has been a true privilege to have been a part of so many lives, sharing excitement behind the handlebars of our Harleys!”
The community expressed its hopes online that the business will continue to meet its motorcycle needs in the hands of its new owners.
Northern News NowThe patriarch of the Harley-Davidson dealership bought it in 1951 and passed it on to his wife before his son took it over in 1997[/caption] Google MapsThe dealership is the only one for miles, with the next nearest located about 100 miles away[/caption] Read More Details
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