Most of you probably remember my article on Charm City Pedal Mill. Here is a video with Jason and Amanda talking about what the Pedal Mill is, where the idea came from, and what the tours are like. Sit back and enjoy!
Baltimore
Charm City Pedal Mill!
Looking for something unique and fun to do on a weekend night, or any time in Baltimore? Look no further than the Charm City Pedal Mill.
You are probably wondering, ‘What is a Pedal Mill?’ Basically, a Pedal Mill is a cycle with pedals and gears, 4-wheels, disc brakes, and a steering wheel like a car. It is powered by people, outfitted with 16 seats for adventurous riders to get it moving. It’s a Rolling Bar! A ride on the Pedal Mill is a great way to spend a night out with friends in Fells Point and Canton.
Pedal Mills are inspired by similar machines in Germany and the Netherlands called Fietcafes. Amanda Linden, the owner and entrepreneur behind Charm City Pedal Mill, first encountered Fietcafes when she was living in Germany, spending time abroad.
Later in her hometown of Milwaukee, Amanda saw some people she had known in high school. Funny thing was, they were going by on one of these crazy Fietcafe contraptions. She started talking with them, and it turned out they had started running pub crawls around Milwaukee with it. “That’s where I got the idea!” said Amanda.
So in August, 2011 she launched Charm City Pedal Mill. She runs the company along with help from a great group of dedicated friends. “Couldn’t do it without them all,” says Amanda.
Using social media and a go-getter attitude, Amanda dove head first into getting the company started. After purchasing a vehicle, she went around to all the bars in Fells Point and Canton, told them about her Pedal Mill, and gave them her business card. “Some people were like this is the coolest thing ever!” However, there were bars that she never heard back from. Now with the success of the company and pub crawls, “Those bars are now calling me saying. ‘We really want to be on your tour!” says Amanda.
The Pedal Mill stops at about 10 bars on any given night. Tours will vary depending upon the time and day. Special requests are welcome.
Amanda is no stranger to the food and restaurant business, having worked in the industry for about 13 years. However, she longed for something more. “I didn’t want to bartend, and didn’t want to manage a restaurant. I had done that before!” she lamented. With Charm City Pedal Mill she has found her true calling, running pub tours in Baltimore. “It doesn’t feel like work at all” Amanda said enthusiastically.
Amanda estimates that there are about 10 other cities that have Pedal Mills running tours, like her high school friends in Milwaukee. She emphasized that this is the, “First one in the Mid-Atlantic, which is kind of cool!”
For those interested in trying out this awesome contraption, it is $25 Mondays-Thursdays to rent out a seat. “You make that up with specials at the bar,” says Amanda. They give you a special wristband that tells the bars you are a Pedal Mill passenger, and that entitles you to drink specials. Each bar is different but you typically save 10%-15% and get shot specials. Tours are generally two miles long, which is great for working off all that beer and food during the night. (When else are you gonna do that, huh?)
You can also rent out the entire Pedal Mill per hour for $155. (Prices are a bit higher on the weekend.) The price goes down per hour the longer you rent it. People rent it out for birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, corporate events, and other special events. “The groups coming out are usually celebrating something.” said Amanda.
The Pedal Mill is equipped with a sound system, so you can bring CDs or an MP3 player and listen to your favorite tunes through the night.
You can celebrate all you want on the Pedal Mill. Lots of people dress up in crazy costumes, “We had a whole crew of pirates last week,” Amanda told me.
One key person who helps run Charm City Pedal Mill is Jason. He fills a number of roles, acting as the main entertainer, head driver, and oversees operations and maintenance. You can see him on board the Pedal Mill most nights. He emphasized that the drivers stay sober, like all drivers should. “You drink, You pedal, We drive!” is the Charm City Pedal Mill slogan. “Never had a bad experience on here.” said Jason when talking about what it is like when they take the Pedal Mill out with customers. Jason fixes the Pedal Mill often, and was doing an alignment when I went to check it out. “He is good with the mechanics of it,” Amanda commented.
The drivers consist of a fun group of people, who all add their special skills to the business. Kevin is an electrical whiz helping fix any issues with the lights or sound system. Jeff is very good with bicycle mechanics. Sarah is the only girl driver, “She’s great, really really good” says Amanda.
You might think getting this Pedal Mill business started and getting the permits would be difficult. Amanda told me that generally the city has been receptive because Baltimore is supporting bike initiatives. She also mentioned that businesses are particularly generous in helping each other out. The company partnered with Wedding411 and some hotels to be featured in Where magazine (that magazine that is always in hotel rooms). In addition, Drink Baltimore will run specials for them.
Sounds and looks awesome, right? What are you waiting for? Go get a group of friends together and rent it! Then come back and leave a comment and tell everyone about your fun experience on the Charm City Pedal Mill.
Let the Good Times Roll!
Call (#443-956-6455) for booking a tour or seat. You can also email: charmcitypedalmill@gmail.com. For additional info visit: http://www.charmcitypedalmill.com/
Audi R8 "Whew"
Today I was in Clipper Mill and went to Woodberry Kitchen. I saw this amazing Audi R8 when I was walking to and from the restaurant. The car was absolutely stunning, but I liked the license plate. Made, me wish I had one!
If you are looking for a fun weekend Cars and Coffee get together, check out Caffeine Cruiser’s on Sunday’s at The Filling Station in Sparks, MD (14910 York Road). Some people get there at 8am. That might be a little early for some but some show up a little later. Go check it out if you have a cool cruiser, muscle car, exotic, motorcycle, etc.
Caffeine Cruiser's
The Filling Station
*Pictures courtesy of Gypsy Jack.
Standard Auto Parts
Standard Auto Parts is something of a Baltimore institution. For those of us that like turning a wrench on the weekends and in our spare time, or for that matter for a living, Standard has been a reliable source for auto parts since 1945. It has 5 locations throughout the Baltimore metro area, delivers to over 3,000 shops, and employs roughly 150 people.
Of course this pales in comparison to the big guys in the automotive parts business. Standard is a one of a handful of independent auto parts companies still around in Baltimore. What sets Standard apart? They keep a loyal customer base by providing superior customer service, efficiency, knowledge, and fun.
What do I mean by fun? For their wholesale customers (shops), in July they ran a special where the first 50 orders over $15 received a free watermelon. “Who else does that?” commented Scott Sutton, Marketing Director for Standard. “People love it!” For another more recent promotion, if you ordered KYB struts you were automatically entered to win a Free TV! This sounded so enticing when I got this email, I considered calling Scott to set up my own corporate account and order as many KYB struts as possible. “I have a 42-inch TV in my office ready to give out.” said Scott. That marketing campaign worked! They also were nice enough to give away 50 pairs of tickets to its wholesale customers to the Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix.
If you need a hard-to-find part and have called around all the usual auto parts stores, Standard most likely has it in stock. If they don’t, they know exactly where to get it and can usually get it to you fast. Also when you call up Standard, you are sure to get someone who knows auto parts.
Standard offers discounts to policemen, firefighters, military, and postal workers. Some discounts are as much as 40% off! “This was one of the many ideas from our countermen that we have implemented throughout the years.” said Scott. Input from employees on how to improve the business is important to Standard.
Even if you are just a regular retail customer, Standard offers a “Low-Price Guarantee.” For instance if you walk into a Standard store and wanted to buy some Wagner brake pads, but you see those pads are less expensive somewhere else, Standard will match it. Most stores will do this, but Standard goes the extra mile. The counterperson will actually call to confirm the price and they will match it.
Standard has been family-owned and operated by the Suttons for over three generations. There are 10 Sutton family members that currently work at the company. This includes Dave Sutton, Vice President, who has been with the company for 27 years. Dave and Scott showed me around the Standard Auto Parts center of operations on Hollins Ferry Rd in South Baltimore.
During my tour I got a real feeling for how the company operates. It is a very efficient operation. When an order comes in from a shop, the average time it takes to get an item or part out the door is 12 minutes. They say they were one of the first auto parts companies that allowed shops to log-on to see statements, invoices, and parts ordered.
During my visit I had lunch at Italianos with Dave, Scott, and Chuck Mosser who is Standard’s Corporate Controller. The menu was huge and I had trouble deciding what to get but Chuck and Dave didn’t even need to look at the menu. Chuck orders the same salad everyday, while Dave knows the menu in and out. The waitress basically knew what they were going to order. I had the Fish & Chips, which were quite good.
As I was getting ready to leave Dave’s office, a rubber band came flying in. Dave quickly picked up a rubber band and said, “Excuse me, I need to take care of this!” and retaliated. He then proudly showed me his extra large rubber band for dealing with particularly troublesome employees. Standard seems like a great place to work.
For over 65 years Standard Auto Parts has been a dependable place to get auto parts. Most likely it will continue to be a family run business and a Baltimore institution for another 65 years.
