Inside the dirt-floored Iowa shop that became a Harley-Davidson legend

The Parhams’ Rise from Fire to Fortune

A dirt-floor shop in Anamosa, Iowa seems like an odd place to start a business empire. But in 1979, that’s exactly what John and Jill Parham did.

Fresh from a split with his high school teacher business partner, John kept his factory job while building J. Parham Enterprises at night.

Then came the blow: a 1984 fire wiped out their shop, leaving them $35,000 in the hole.

Yet the Parhams pushed on, growing from a tiny 16-page catalog to the world’s largest motorcycle parts retailer with 300 staff.

They even saved the National Motorcycle Museum, moving it from South Dakota to their hometown. The remarkable Parham legacy still stands in Anamosa today.

A Science Teacher Became John Parham’s First Business Partner

John Parham teamed up with his high school science teacher Donald Brown to open D&J Cycles in 1975, just two years after finishing high school.

John worked mornings at their small bike shop while keeping his factory job for steady income. Don handled the afternoon hours.

This setup let John learn the motorcycle parts business without giving up his regular paycheck. He picked up valuable skills dealing with customers and managing inventory.

Different Visions Led to a Business Breakup

By 1979, John and his teacher partner couldn’t agree on which direction to take their shop. John wanted to focus on Harley-Davidson while Brown liked Japanese bikes like Honda and Kawasaki.

This clash made working together impossible. John and his wife Jill started “J. Parham Enterprises, Inc. ” that same year, running a tiny motorcycle shop with just a dirt floor.

During these early days, John still kept his factory job, fixing bikes only during evenings and weekends.

Weekend Swap Meets Became Their Secret Weapon

Starting in 1979, John began hitting weekend motorcycle swap meets more often. He bought used parts cheap and sold them for more to bikers looking for hard-to-find items.

These weekend trips built his name among riders and showed him which parts sold best. John filled his truck with parts and drove across Iowa and nearby states, making friends with suppliers and customers.

The swap meets taught him what motorcycle owners really needed.

Getting Laid Off Turned into a Blessing

In 1982, John lost his factory job during tough economic times. This bad news forced him to go all-in on his motorcycle business.

Without regular paychecks, John had to make his bike parts business work or face money troubles. Jill joined him full-time, handling the books while John found parts and helped customers.

The pressure of supporting their family pushed them to work harder than ever before. This sudden career change became the turning point for their business.

Fire Destroyed Their Shop but Not Their Dreams

A terrible fire burned their motorcycle shop to the ground in 1984, wiping out everything they had. The Parhams found themselves $35,000 short on insurance, a huge amount for these small-town business owners.

John and Jill saw the disaster as a chance to rebuild better. They borrowed money from family, took out loans, and worked non-stop to recover.

The fire made them rethink their business and consider a proper warehouse instead of another small shop.

Their First Catalog Changed Everything

John created the first J&P Cycles catalog in 1987, a simple 24-page booklet that brought in orders from across the country. This move from local shop to mail-order sales changed their business overnight.

Motorcycle fans from coast to coast could now order parts without coming to Anamosa. The catalog helped them reach thousands of new customers while keeping costs low.

John took photos of parts himself and wrote descriptions based on his hands-on knowledge.

The Catalog Grew as Fast as Their Business

By 1991, their small catalog had grown from 24 to 96 pages, full of thousands of parts. John started hosting motorcycle events throughout Iowa and Wisconsin as J&P Promotions.

These gatherings included swap meets, bike shows, hill climbs, and races that brought riders together. The events boosted their name while building goodwill among bikers.

Each new catalog reached more customers, with numbers growing from a few thousand to tens of thousands in just a few years.

The Small-Town Shop Became an Industry Giant

DealerNews magazine called J&P Cycles the “World’s Largest Aftermarket Retailer” by the late 1990s. The company grew to employ over 300 people in Anamosa, making it one of the biggest local employers.

J&P Cycles opened more stores in biker hotspots like Ormond Beach, Florida and Sturgis, South Dakota. John won many industry awards, including Best Independent Dealer from Dealernews Magazine in 2004.

The company that started in a dirt-floor shop now shipped thousands of parts daily worldwide.

Saving a Motorcycle Museum from Closure

In 2001, John and Jill heard that the National Motorcycle Museum in Sturgis, South Dakota might close due to money problems.

They couldn’t let this important collection disappear, so they bought the struggling museum and moved its 300+ motorcycles to Anamosa. The rescue saved key pieces of motorcycle history from being sold off.

John wanted to keep American motorcycling heritage alive for future generations.

The move to Iowa gave the collection a second chance and created a new tourist spot for their hometown.

The Museum Found a Permanent Home

The National Motorcycle Museum moved to a big 36,000 square foot building in Anamosa in 2010.

John added many bikes from his own collection, which had grown to include over 300 motorcycles spanning more than 100 years of riding history.

The expanded museum won Iowa’s Tourism Attraction of the Year award in 2001 and brought visitors from around the globe to the small town.

John earned spots in both the AMA Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Sturgis Museum’s Hall of Fame in 2009, recognition of his contributions to motorcycle culture and history.

The Family Business Lives On

Motorcycle Aftermarket Group bought J&P Cycles in the early 2000s, allowing John and Jill to focus on family and running the museum.

Their son Zach stepped up as Vice President and General Manager, keeping the business in family hands.

Comoto Holdings acquired J&P Cycles in January 2020, but maintained the company’s commitment to serving the motorcycle community.

John passed away in 2017 after fighting pulmonary fibrosis, but his legacy continues through both the thriving business he built and the museum that preserves the history he loved.

Visiting National Motorcycle Museum, Iowa

Unfortunately, you can’t visit the National Motorcycle Museum anymore since it closed in 2023.

John and Jill Parham from Anamosa created this museum in 1989 after building their J&P Cycles motorcycle business empire.

The museum displayed their business artifacts and motorcycle history for over 30 years as a non-profit. The entire collection was sold at auction in September 2023, and the building at 102 Chamber Drive is now for sale.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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