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Who: Vicki and Neal Peden (husband and wife team). Co-owners are Vicki and Neal Peden (husband and wife team); daughter, Keely Peden Morales, is manager/captain and son-in-law Marco Morales is also a captain driving. What: “We provide a fun and unique way to tour Fort Worth and celebrate special occasions like birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, graduations, family reunions, weddings and divorce parties, corporate team building and friends just getting together for a good time.”
When: October 2012
Where: 809 Galveston Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76104
Website: cowtowncycleparty.com
Vicki Peden wrote about the family business. This post has been edited for content and clarity.
My husband and I put in $10,000 to start the business with one 16-person party bike. My husband saw an article about the one in Houston, which is called Pedal Party. I was just enthralled because it looks like so much fun.
Starting was a long process. It’s not just getting the money because there was nothing like this in Fort Worth. People I talked to, the business leaders said, “You’re going to do what? People are going to be drinking on a big bicycle, running around the city?”
A bunch of people were not too impressed. But Andy Taft, with Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., encouraged us.
The city of Fort Worth wrote a special ordinance, the “Group Cycle Ordinance” in 2012 allowing us to operate downtown and in the Near Southside. We started out in a parking garage on Calhoun Street and now have our own building at 809 Galveston Ave. in the Near Southside.
The very first time that we went out was during the Parade of Lights. And everybody thought we were a float. It took a long time to just get people to see it and to understand what in the world we’re doing here.
I started out driving with my daughter, Keely. She has pretty much taken over as far as being the manager. I get to run our other company, Pedego Fort Worth.
The Cowtown Cycle Party has the original wooden party bikes made in the Netherlands. We now have three big bikes and with the new location we will have room for up to six bikes.
Advice for starting a business? Find something different, and don’t give up.
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