SCOOTERVILLE For over four years now, The Regulars Vintage Scooter Club has been meeting on a regular basis and spreading the scooter gospel to young and old alike. It could be suggested that thanks to this vibrant community of Twin Cities scooterists we now have the local resources we've always dreamed about, actual scooter shops and dealerships! But I don't think The Regulars would take that credit, not when everybody reaps the benefits. I hope you are seated while reading this, because I've got some great news: the Metro area has a new scooter shop known as Scooterville! The state's only full-service scooter dealership will open on June 8th, 2002 and not only sell new scooters from Bajaj and Kymco but perform service and repairs on vintage Lambrettas and Vespas. I have been talking with the owners and have taken a good look at their "top secret" location and I'm here to say that scootering in Minnesota has never been better. The story, which sounds a bit familiar, starts somewhere over a year ago with Bob Hedstrom taking a trip to points East. While traveling he visits a Vespa boutique and the Scooterworks headquarters and becomes a changed man, a man with a vision of a Minnesota scooter shop. When he meets up with an old friend at an Irish pub downtown a few months later, they reminisce about their mid-80's Saab club days and both blurt out something about starting a full-time scooter shop. I wasn't direct witness to this meeting, but I can imagine jaws dropping and eyes sparkling with dreams about to be made real. Yeah, I'm a romantic. Deal with it. They both realized that they had to give it a serious shot. Hedstrom's been a part of the television and advertising community for well over twelve years and runs his own scenery and prop construction business. He's even got a few old props with some Prince-ly stories behind them. He might also know something about restaurant booths and Formica... well, anyway, his many hats are now covered by what appears to be a DOT-approved helmet. Hedstrom's partner is none other than Derrick Edge, an ex-lumber and construction materials sales person and formerly of a home-based part-time shop called Tonka Bay Scooters (we wrote about him back in March 2001). Edge has always liked spending time on mechanical things and is quite happy tinkering around in pursuit of perfection. He's had a passion for vintage scooters for over ten years and has spent recent years building his reputation as the best Vespa and Lambretta repairman in this Midwest region. He's got a no-bull do-it-right approach that has been winning respect and loyalty throughout the area. I looked at the directions to their shop near Stadium Village with some speculation. There was a scooter shop in that area? Curious. One begins to understand the idea behind the name upon arrival, however, as the slightly scruffy warehouse stands alone amongst grain tower parking lots and railroad tracks. It really is, as Hedstrom claims, like traveling to another little town, albeit one that only has a passion for scooters. Even though it feels rather out of the way, the location is very easy to find and right in the middle of everything. Inside, I am amazed at the transformation of a former storage space into a bright, airy, and comfortable scooter showroom and shop. The high ceilings and glass block windows running the length of the space are wonderful on a sunny afternoon and I detect a slight hint of... cinnamon? Yes, my nose is correct the adjoining space houses a spice company that gives the building a wonderful fragrance. Hedstrom and Edge have been spending every free moment renovating the space erecting and painting walls, painting and sealing the floor, building the shop area, installing tile and railings, and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. It looks like a lot of time and money. "I already held a lease on the space and this has all been done on a very thin shoestring budget," Hedstrom corrects me. "We are keeping it simple so we can focus on simply selling great scooters." I start asking more questions. Why scooters? Hedstrom and Edge start rattling off a small book's worth of reasons they have a passion for scooters: they are simple, economical, stylish, functional, affordable, mobile, and really really fun. Hedstrom pauses for a second, "Well... they have vehicular sex appeal. But they are also just a little weird and that always draws me in." He laughs, but I understand that attraction. "Our philosophy is to treat people with respect. There is a scooter out there for everybody who wants one, but many people don't know they are a scooter person yet. We have to sell the whole notion of scootering," Hedstrom explains. "For some, a scooter will be a trip down memory lane. For others it might be a sort of mid-life crisis vehicle. No matter. Our scooters have a definite price/performance edge and we have both manual and automatic models." Scooters seem to be very popular right now, appearing all across the media spectrum and targeted towards all age groups. I ask Edge if this is just a trend. "Scooters are here to stay. They outsell motorcycles in Europe. Our culture is changing. Our cities are growing, becoming more dense. These tighter communities are very conducive to a light, mobile, economical form of personal transportation such as the scooter. Scooters are a very valid form of transportation. To some they'll just be recreational vehicles, but many will see it as their main mode of mobility. It just makes sense, especially if gas prices ever go up to European levels." With mileage upwards of 100 miles per gallon on some of their models, I agree completely. My vintage Vespa gets very decent mileage, but the notion of driving around for weeks on $2.00 of petrol really appeals to my inner penny-pincher. I'd pull away from the gas pumps with a slightly crazed laugh, appreciating immensely the fact that they got so little of my cash for so much two-wheeled enjoyment. Ha ha! The scooters being sold at Scooterville really have a nice range of styles and features. "We have great quality scooters from Bajaj and Kymco at reasonable prices," Edge says. What about those brands, I inquire. Hedstrom elaborates: "Bajaj is the largest scooter manufacturer in the world and has been building scooters in India since 1961 when they were licensed by Vespa to build scooters for the Asian market. You can see how these new models look very much like a vintage Vespa. This is their first full year in the U.S. market. Kymco is Taiwan's largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters and has been in operation since 1963. Their models are very modern and all are fully automatic. Both lines are a superb value." The shop clearly has potential and initial reports seem to indicate much excitement from the scootering community. Hedstrom gives me a final explanation of scootering's appeal: "People who see you riding your scooter always smile and wave. They are so much fun! And you know, no matter how bad of a day I'm having, when I get on my scooter and start riding, in about four blocks everything else just fades away." Have you had your dose of scooter therapy yet? Pay a visit to the Scooterville shop. You will. Scooterville is open Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 7:00pm and Saturdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Give them a call at 612-331-SCOOT or visit them online at www.scootervilleMN.com I look forward to seeing all you new riders at The Regulars gatherings! Ride safe and ride often. The Twin Cities' Vintage Scooter Club, The Regulars, meets on the first and third Sundays of each month at Pizza Luce in Uptown Minneapolis (32nd and Lyndale Ave) at 2:00 pm for socializing and riding -- as long as weather permits. Join us! The website is located at http://www.minnescoota.com or send me a message - jeremy@minnescoota.com or meddlinkid@excite.com     M.M.M.