Where Grandpa Jan started in 1960 with a simple bicycle shop in Den Bosch, Rick (58) and his son Tommy (29) now mainly work on electric bicycles, with displays, batteries and software. “You are nowadays a technician rather than a bicycle repairman,” says Rick. This weekend they are celebrating the anniversary of their family business.
“I always said that I didn’t want to be a bicycle repairman. But if you live above the store, you roll in automatically. Sometimes I helped my father, and I actually liked that I finally took over the business,” says Rick Kemps.
The history of the Kemps family goes back to 1911, when Rick’s great -grandfather started a bicycle shop. His sons opened their own stores throughout Brabant. In 1960, Rick’s father Jan started his own location in Den Bosch, who is still there now.
Son Tommy Kemps (29), the fifth generation, now also works in the family business. “As a child I thought: my future is here, nice and easy.” But after his studies he found the work too monotonous and started to doubt. “I did other work for three years, but eventually missed the store. My father accepted my choice, but he was happy that I was coming back.”
Rick adds: “I could only dream of that. Otherwise the family business would have come to an end.”
“You are nowadays a technician rather than a bicycle repairman.”
Until three years ago the three generations worked together in the case. Jan (84) helped fully until just before his death. “Grandpa had his own place in the back of the store, where he repaired bicycles in his own old -fashioned way,” says Tommy. “I often went to him for a chat. And we made a lot of jokes. That was a very special time.”
But there were also differences between the generations. “In the past, the bicycle shop was mainly about repairs. A bike was occasionally sold, but then we quickly returned to the workplace,” says Rick. “At some point the sale became more important. My father had difficulty with that. That sometimes caused discussions.”
The profession of bicycle repairman has also changed considerably in 65 years. “My father used to turn the bike upside down to tinker,” says Rick when he points to an old photo of his father who repairs a bike. “But that is no longer possible. The bikes are too heavy and complicated.”
There are mainly electric bicycles in the workplace. And there are computer screens. “The work has become much more difficult. You should not only be able to handle cycling well, but also with its technology. You have to read data, update software and find malfunctions. You are a technician rather than a bicycle repairman,” says the 58-year-old bicycle maker.
“My father was unable to make that switch to electric bicycles anymore. He left that to me.”
“My grandfather and father have built the store to what it is today.”
Although Tommy slowly takes over his father’s store, he is not the classic bicycle repairer. “I know a lot about cycling and I can stick a band, but I leave the big repairs to the boys in the workshop. They can do that much better than me.”
And cycling yourself? “I don’t really like to do it,” laughs Tommy. “I’d rather take the car or walk. Customers always find that a bit crazy when I say that.”
Yet he is proud of his family story. Tommy looks at a photo of his grandfather Jan who is behind the counter. “I owe this to my grandfather. He and my father have built up the store to what it is today. The task is to continue that.” This weekend they will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Bossche case.