#1 Dealer in the United States
Dec 5, 2014 By Vince Guerrieri BELLEVILLE, N.J. - Motorcycle Mall is the 2014 Top 100 Dealer of the Year. Here is their story.
It seemed like a fool's errand.
In the teeth of the worst economy in 80 years, the Motorcycle Mall was moving into an enormous new building on two acres of property in Essex County. In 2010, dealerships were getting smaller, or worse yet, closing up shop.
And that's actually how they were able to find a closed Ford dealership. "The recession made it possible to make the move," said John Resciniti III, the third generation of the family to work at Motorcycle Mall. They put up a 108,000 sq. ft. building, double the size of their last dealership, with ample parking-always a premium in the New York metropolitan area-and have reaped dividends since.
Motorcycle Mall is one of the biggest on the East Coast, serving a competitive area, and not just surviving. It's thriving as an active part of its community-not far from Newark Airport and the Meadowlands-and it's Dealernews' 2014 Dealer of the Year.
John Resciniti rode motorcycle when he was in the service. Afterward, he went into the auto body business. He and his son John Jr., who had ridden motocross bikes before graduating to street bikes, were selling Indian dirtbikes out of the back of the body shop.
"It was starting to take up so much space at the auto body shop, my father said, 'Let's just get a storefront,'" said John III (called LJ for "Little John").
John Sr. and Jr. bought a building and started Newark Motorcycle, selling Indian dirtbikes, Kawasaki and Honda. The building used to be an A&P grocery store, where John Sr. stocked shelves as a boy, and then was a Sears & Roebuck where John Sr. would change tires. Two years later, they had grown big enough to move into another building, which they'd outgrow by 2007.
"Logistically, it was very tough to operate," LJ said. "Town hall was right across from our building. It kept a lot of trouble away, but on Wednesdays, when it was court day, we had no parking."
Frank Sinatra once sang of New York that if you could make it there, you could make it anywhere. There are millions of potential customers, but it's a competitive market that isn't conducive to owning a car or a motorcycle. LJ said people might have to spend as much as $500 monthly storing a bike.
"There are a lot of things to overcome in this area than in other areas of the country," he said. "You're selling to more customers, but every 15 miles, you've got another dealer."
LJ also noted that dealers now have to contend with online sales. People might come through the dealership, see something they like and then buy it online for hundreds of dollars cheaper.
"It's a different atmosphere now than it was 10 years ago," LJ said. "Transparency is key. 90-95 percent of our stuff is on the Internet, so training our staff and our constant involvement is what puts us out there."
The dealership regularly hosts movie nights, and puts on stunt shows and works closely with Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider courses, which in turn helps bring younger customers in. The dealership's average customer age is 30, an enviable number in an industry where buyers aging out is a legitimate concern. At Motorcycle Mall, they sell the experience of coming to the dealership as much as of riding itself.
"We want to make this a destination where people want to come here and come back," LJ said. "We want people to associate riding with Motorcycle Mall. We're your local dealer and we'll take care of you. This isn't, 'Buy a bike and we'll see you later.' It's trying to build that customer loyalty."
Motocross made its first appearance in the New York metro area in more than 20 years this year. There was an event at the dealership that weekend, and Motorcycle Mall had a presence at MetLife Stadium, where the race was held. LJ said staff worked 16-hour days to prepare.
"From a planning side, just to be a presence, we killed ourselves," he said. "It wasn't as bad as the move, but it was pretty damn close." But the results paid off. "The positive outcome really revived a lot of the customer base. It was a great draw, and that's what keeps us motivated."
LJ knows history isn't on his side. Fewer and fewer family businesses survive after each successive generation, but his life led up to him becoming part of the family business.
"I tailored my college career for this business," he said. "It's what my grandfather worked for and sacrificed and so did my father.
"There's a lot more to it than a paycheck at the end of the day. It's our passion."
