“Hey Dave,” came
the query,
“what’s the story behind the benches?”
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Shiloh
and I were standing in the parking lot at Peterson’s Harley-Davidson in
Miami
, during one of the
few quiet moments of the weekend festivities. He was gazing at the purple
seating I bring to every party I attend and he intuitively suspected there was
an informative yarn waiting.
Shiloh
and his partner Mark have the portable motorcycle lighting and high end accessory
service known as “Boogie Lights.” Over the years of seeing and working with
each other at bike events all over the country we have become fast friends.
They appreciate the sense of genuine customer service and the happy demeanor in
which Letterfly business is conducted. The attractive nature of the pinstriping
booth with the variety of traditional brush painted, low brow and old school
designs on display creates an atmosphere for the bikers to pause and
contemplate many possibilities of unique artwork to set their bike apart from
the rest.
As I reviewed all
that has taken place in my colorful career to date, including the construction
of this portable art gallery, the development of this lifestyle of travel
across the country to be in service to this interesting culture and, among
other things, bring this comfortable seating to the proximity of my guests,
just as Shiloh calculated, a story began to gel in my mind.
Even though the
pinstriping service is set up every weekend at a customer friendly motorcycle
dealership somewhere, the advent of the bike show season begins with the
granddaddy of all bike events at Daytona. This year at Bike Week Letterfly will
set up with the “Boogie Lights” guys at the Diamondback Steak House in Holly
Hill. Those of you who escape the great white north to enjoy some
Florida
sunshine need
only keep a sharp lookout for the purple benches to find Letterfly conveniently
located between Daytona and
Ormond
Beach
in beautiful Holly Hill.
Boogie Lights and
Letterfly combine to establish a “Creativity Central” headquarters for the
bikers in search of high quality customization and camaraderie. Make sure to
stop by and see the latest in gadgets and lighting for your bike, the painted
images as they come to life, have the artist dream up an idea for your scoot or
just hang out and have some fun amidst the excitement of the leather clad
throngs at Bike Week in Daytona and, until we see you there, enjoy the story
behind the purple benches.
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The Purple Benches
The love affair
with my customers officially started twenty two years ago when, as the result
of a happy accident, I found myself at a Dude Ranch turned Luxury RV Resort. At
River Ranch, folksy entertainment was all around me. Hay rides, line dancing, folk
singing, the old time rodeo and a country band at the saloon every Saturday
night. Aircraft rallies at the landing strip, cruise night, bike night, motor
home rallies and fishing tournaments filled the winter weekends. As the
resident artist, I was on display as a curiosity for the throngs to see as I
created wildlife murals, pastoral scenes and patriotic sentiments on motor
homes and various other modes of transportation, applied my lettering skills to
personalize the rigs, pinstriped delicate decorations on bikes, old school
designs on hot rods, added graphic stripes to vehicles of all kinds, and
painted portraits of “fi fi” and “fido” on camper entry doors. |
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Although my career,
producing high quality painted works started in the early seventies, the shy,
freshly brokenhearted and introverted sign painter from
Michigan
stepped into the expanded position of
entertainer with a brush a decade later. It was this role that assisted
accumulating an incredible reputation in the RV industry. As I grew comfortable
in the limelight, my demeanor developed onto the boyish funster of today. My
presence at River Ranch lasted eight winter seasons when another situation
presented itself. Little did I know that at that time, the founder of Lazydays
had a vision of creating the “Disney World” of RV dealerships and having every
conceivable amenity on the property would create an unrivaled one-stop RV
shopping experience and a unique destination for RVers. As the result, I
received a call and was invited to bring my special gift to phase one of their
new facility and settle in as their artist.
In
what seemed to be just a moment, I was transported into a park like setting and
given the prettiest place on the property, for my studio. The beautifully
landscaped site was adjacent to concrete pathways that lead to various parking lots
filled with new motor homes and the area around me was filled with park
benches. I especially enjoyed the benches. They quietly conveyed the message of
the foundation that this company was built upon: a sincere regard for the
customer. The comfortable seating became a favorite place for the guests after
having lunch at the cafeteria, while waiting for service to be performed on
their coach, or for just plain killing time while they walked the dog, got some
rest after kicking tires, or sought a peaceful retreat in the shade of the trees,
or were just plain curious about what Letterfly was doing now.
The
lovely studio setting under the quaint Spanish moss draped boughs of the
ancient oak hammock at the largest RV dealership in the country was a wonderful
“think tank” for artistic creativity, a source of gratitude and a haven for
curious couples to relax, enjoy the camaraderie, validate the decisions my
patrons had made to get a mural, ask questions about commissioning artwork of
their very own and watch the process underway as mural after mural was
airbrushed for what seemed to be an endless stream of couples that resembled Ma
& Pa USA and their countless motor homes. I was living a dream.
I
was complimented to be on board at this place especially because the founder
knew that his success came from a momentum of happy customers. He dedicated
this company to outstanding service to the patrons and to promote the right
principles, he personally taught a class once a week to empower every employee
with the strategies, ethics and common sense that would encourage the right
decisions that would produce outstanding service to the guests which in turn
would create dedication all around. This philosophy combined with my happy way
of going as an entertainer and catapulted me into the functional realm of
service to my patrons that I enjoy today.
Everything changed
at the mighty dealership when, at the peak of the motor home buying frenzy, the
owner sold the company to an investment group on Wall Street. The ideals that
built the success of the company began to erode. One by one, the park benches
rotted and were never replaced. The economy took a dump and RV sales stalled,
forcing massive layoffs and industry related manufacturing companies to close. Thank
goodness that the building boom of brand new Harley-Davidson stores had
provided an opportunity for my mural making service to fill another niche. As
interior murals began to fill the halls and walls of this unique retail
environment all over the country, I found an audience that wanted pinstriping
on motorcycles and I began to attend the popular events that the bikers
frequented. The friendly demeanor that had developed over the years and the
philosophy of dedication to customer service accompanied me into this new
echelon.
At a show business
product convention I saw them for the first time - plastic end pieces that had
receptors for two by fours that, when added, would make them into sturdy park
benches. I bought two sets, both purple. Soon I had painted up some two by fours
and assembled my park benches. The purple seating was included at every bike
event and at customer dedicated Harley stores where my guests enjoyed the
creative brush painting service that now
filled the void left from the dried-up RV genre. Interestingly, many of my
biker customers were the same ones that I had airbrushed a mural for when they
had a motor home.
Everywhere that
Letterfly went the purple benches were a big hit. After all, bikers need a
place to put their stuff while they are getting some artwork, and a place to relax
after the long trip, and the benches encourage a great place to congregate to
watch the pinstripe design process or a traditional hand painted image come to
life. The real reason for the benches is
to convey the message of regard and dedication to my guests that I learned
years ago. Alas the original park benches proved to be too bulky for transport
in the back of the toy hauler so I began to seek an alternative. After much
deliberation, research and some inspiration, now twice as many folding versions
of the “bench-o-matic” are complete and painted purple with reflective
lettering that says “Letterfly” so when you get to Daytona, look for the purple
benches. |