BuddysSchwinn
'Lil Knee Scuffer
Hello CABE community. Long-time viewer, first-time poster. I have a collection that I think will resonate here and wanted to share the story behind it.
My father, Jerry Amato, bought an old bike shop in Flushing, Queens in the mid-1970s and converted it into Buddy's Schwinn Bicycle -- a full Schwinn Total Concept authorized dealership. I started working there at 14 and worked through college. My father passed in 2009, and I eventually closed the store as my career took me in a different direction. What you're seeing in these photos is what survived -- the real working archive of an authorized Schwinn dealer.
Photo 1 -- Books, manuals and ephemera:
Over the next few weeks I'll be listing items from the collection for sale in the classifieds section: catalogs, manuals, dealer documents, the Black Phantom, the clock, and more. A quick note: I posted a version of this earlier in the week and inadvertently framed it as a for-sale listing, which isn't allowed here without prices. This is simply the story of the collection. Classifieds listings will follow separately over the coming weeks.
In the meantime, does anyone here have memories of Buddy's Schwinn in Flushing, or know anything about the Schwinn Total Concept dealer program from that era? Would love to hear from anyone with a connection to the store or that period.
My father, Jerry Amato, bought an old bike shop in Flushing, Queens in the mid-1970s and converted it into Buddy's Schwinn Bicycle -- a full Schwinn Total Concept authorized dealership. I started working there at 14 and worked through college. My father passed in 2009, and I eventually closed the store as my career took me in a different direction. What you're seeing in these photos is what survived -- the real working archive of an authorized Schwinn dealer.
Photo 1 -- Books, manuals and ephemera:
- Two copies of Schwinn Sting-Ray by Liz Fried (Enthusiast Color Series) -- one factory sealed, one like new
- "50 Years of Schwinn-Built Bicycles" hardcover
- Original owner's manuals: Sting-Ray Models, Lightweight Bicycles, All Terrain Bicycles, Ergo Metric Exerciser
- Schwinn Care & Operating Checklist, Bicycle Safety booklet, Tire Care Guide, Lock Your Bike pamphlet
- Three original Schwinn "Quality" embroidered patches
- Original dealer parts/price list
- Cycling Adventures '74, Cycling America '75, Schwinn '76, Bicycles & Accessories '77, 1978 Cavalcade of Bicycles, Bicycles & Accessories '79, 1980 (two editions), Full Line 1983, Full Line 1984, Schwinn Cycling and Fitness (multiple issues)
- 1991 catalog, '95 Schwinn Lineup, "What a Ride" catalogs, 2000 catalog
- Schwinn Cyclery Sales Manual (dealer copy)
- Schwinn Cyclery Fixtures catalog -- complete set of 1968 dealer store setup sections
- Schwinn Franchise brochure
- Original 1973 letter to my father from Schwinn Sales East Inc., signed by the Cycle Dealer Consultant, with proposed floor plan and fixture list attached
- "World's Finest Schwinn Bicycles" with the classic shield logo
- Original Dualite manufacture, label intact on back
- Hung in Buddy's Schwinn from the day the store opened
- Appears to be in working condition
Over the next few weeks I'll be listing items from the collection for sale in the classifieds section: catalogs, manuals, dealer documents, the Black Phantom, the clock, and more. A quick note: I posted a version of this earlier in the week and inadvertently framed it as a for-sale listing, which isn't allowed here without prices. This is simply the story of the collection. Classifieds listings will follow separately over the coming weeks.
In the meantime, does anyone here have memories of Buddy's Schwinn in Flushing, or know anything about the Schwinn Total Concept dealer program from that era? Would love to hear from anyone with a connection to the store or that period.
