Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor
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Tune in to the Ft. Myers Beach – Good Neighbor Podcast, where the spirit of community meets the rhythm of island life. Each episode is a laid-back journey through heartfelt stories, local voices, and the connections that make our beach town so special. Whether you’re a resident or just dreaming of coastal breezes, let us be your guide to all things good in our neighborhood.
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Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor
FMBGN-Biz-Current Riders-From Online to Shoreline Story
Starting over after devastation can lead to unexpected opportunities. For Brian and Michelle Rich, Hurricane Ian became the catalyst for creating Current Riders, a specialty outdoor recreation shop on Fort Myers Beach dedicated to helping people overcome barriers to enjoying Southwest Florida's natural paradise.
The couple's journey began with long walks on the beach, contemplating their future while watching their community rebuild. A chance sighting of a "For Rent" sign led to establishing their brick-and-mortar location after first launching online. Their mission crystallized around a simple concept: removing obstacles that prevent people from experiencing outdoor activities.
Current Riders specializes in innovative products perfectly suited for coastal living. Their electric bikes feature carbon belt drives instead of traditional chains – making them rust-resistant and nearly maintenance-free in the salt-laden environment. Their collection of ultralight inflatable kayaks weighing just 16 pounds can support over 400 pounds, allowing nearly anyone to access the water without needing specialized transportation equipment.
Beyond selling gear, Brian and Michelle have created a community resource. They've donated e-bikes to workers spending hours commuting to help with beach reconstruction and raised funds for various local causes. Their unique "Test the Waters Program" allows visitors to test equipment during vacation, then apply rental fees toward purchasing gear that ships directly to their homes.
What truly distinguishes Current Riders is their perspective on active living. They've witnessed customers rehabilitating from surgeries find new mobility through e-biking, couples with different fitness levels finally able to enjoy activities together, and visitors discovering unexpected joy in outdoor exploration. As Brian notes, "It's about keeping your mind open while knowing what's important to you."
Ready to experience the Current Riders difference? Visit them at CurrentRidersFMB.com, stop by their Fort Myers Beach location, or call 833-743-2787 to discover how the right gear can transform your outdoor adventures.
Current Riders
Brian & Michelle Rich
19050 San Carlos Blvd Fort Myers Beach, FL, 33931
(833) 743-2787
gearup@currentriders.com
CurrentRidersFMB.com
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Welcome to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor Podcast, where the sun's always shining and the stories are even brighter. Each episode we bring you closer to the neighbors, local legends and beachside businesses that make Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. Pull up a beach chair, grab a drink and let's meet the people who make this island feel like home. We want to send out some island love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance, usa and Home Well Care Services Fort Myers. Love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance, usa and Home Well Care Services Fort Myers. They are the businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener, from local stories to the positive vibe of island life. Here's to celebrating all that makes Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. Here's your host, cabo, jim Schaller.
Speaker 2:Welcome Fort Myers Beach, good Neighbors, where we're all about no shade and just sunshine. Right Today we have good neighbors from Fort Myers Beach Brian and Michelle Rich from Current Writers, welcome.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having us. Yeah, excited to learn a little bit more about your story. You guys have not been around that long, but you're quickly becoming part of the community, which we love, so let's jump right in. And why don't you share a little bit about what you do over at Current Riders? To start with, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 4:Well, we're kind of. We started our store. We started an online store almost a year before we found a location in Fort Myers Beach that we thought would work for us. So we started our online store where we ship sports gear, e-bikes, a little bit of everything nationwide, and we were always looking for a spot down at Fort Myers Beach where we could open a store. And we were coming down and walking the beach every morning while working on our website and as we were driving to the beach, michelle said I just saw a for rent sign as we drove past and I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to. We called and our landlord was shocked. He said I just put the sign up and we said we're looking and so we got in here really last October, probably November.
Speaker 4:We start painting and getting stuff ready where we opened.
Speaker 3:February 1st was our official open date.
Speaker 4:So it's been a whirlwind actually.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right, Just jump right in right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the focus of our store is just enabling people to be able to get outdoors and enjoy what our area has to offer, so we really focus on e-bikes and then our water sports, so paddle boards, kayaks and beach gear.
Speaker 2:That's what it's about. Living down in Southwest Florida is being outside right and enjoying the sunshine Yep. So where are you guys from originally?
Speaker 3:So we're both from the north, but we've lived down here longer than we lived up north, so we've been here since 95 and 97.
Speaker 4:Yeah, michelle's, from the northeast, the Midwest. We've lived here, yeah, much longer than we've lived up there.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:We were up there long enough to know that it was cold.
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 2:We don't want to be shoveling any more snow right.
Speaker 4:Michelle's dad said you don't have to shovel rain, yeah.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly. I think the joke was back in the day I was going to put a snow shovel on the front of my car and drive until somebody asked me what it was.
Speaker 3:That's funny, that's good.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly. So I'm down here, but we love it down here, so yeah. I have to ask. I mean, obviously Fort Myers Beach is going through a transformation, but why Fort Myers Beach?
Speaker 3:Because you know like Fort Myers Beach meant going through a transformation. But why Fort Myers Beach? Because you know like Fort Myers Beach meant a lot to us before Hurricane Ian and we know how much of a special place it is and we wanted to be a part of the rebuild. You know we're passionate about that. That's why we're so involved in the community and doing things for our community, because we know how it was and we think it can be special again and we're already well on that way?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and you touched on it there for a second but being involved and giving back to the community, you guys have been great at it. You know so far. What kind of things are you doing that we can share with our listeners?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean we're really trying to find just those unique opportunities that you know, whether you know a business needs help or you know a person and you know. I think the thing that I failed to mention to your last question was the Fort Myers Beach community of people is very special and so you, you know, quickly hear and learn when someone is in need. So we've, you know, raised money through raffling off an e-bike on a few instances. We donated a bike to a gentleman that was taking three hours to get to work from where he lived, to get down to the beach to do work and the rebuild. So we're just trying to find those unique opportunities to help people.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and that's what community is. It's about coming together and helping and supporting each other, and that's another reason why we love this community.
Speaker 4:Yes, exactly, We've just been thankful to be at the right place, at the right time, so to speak, where you know we've always wanted to help people. That's part of that's kind of our core, one of our core things that's important to us, and thankfully we were just at the right place at the right time and were able to do something to help. So it means a lot to us.
Speaker 2:It seems like living at the beach has kind of changed your perspective and lifestyle, you know. Could you explore a little bit more on that and how you've got this new vision on life?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, as I have Brian and I have discussed before, going through such a travesty personally and then seeing everyone around you, it just makes you think about what's important to you, and so we really made the decision for the balance of our life, we're going to do what we're passionate about, and we're passionate about helping people and get keeping people active, and so that's how we arrived at this.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the whole thing we were going. We were just to the point where we had to rebuild our you know, go through rebuilding process that most people, a lot of people, went through and we examined where we were at and what you know it's that, I guess, the quote what's it all for? You know, and where we're at, and you know it sounds cliche, but it's true. We're taking long walks on the beach and kind of like, what do we want to do the rest of our lives, our lives? It was quite easy, because we've seen a lot of people that we've known that let barriers stop them from enjoying their life or being active or staying active. That's where the current comes from.
Speaker 4:You have current and water, but current is also innovative products. We were thinking what are these things that stop people from going paddle boarding or kayaking or buying a bike If you don't have a bike rack? If you have a small apartment, you got a small car or whatever it is, and those are the things, the products that we have. You know, we have an inflatable kayak that weighs 16 pounds, that will hold two people, over 400 pounds. So literally, literally, if you can walk to a body of water, there's nothing stopping you from taking this kayak and going kayaking. So it's just one of those things that got us really excited. And there's more things out there and, um, yeah, that's where current riders started and it was kind of like, how can we help people and provide these things?
Speaker 2:well, and you mentioned, you know, being down here, but getting out, you see a different side of southwest florida. When you're out on the water or you're all riding around, you know you get to enjoy nature and its natural habitat. So it's a beautiful thing. More people need to be doing it. Yep, exactly. So running a business, you know, by the beach sounds like a dream job, right, but we all deal with storms. Obviously. We've had a lot going on here recently, but what's been your biggest challenge or maybe your proudest moment so far?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Do you want to talk?
Speaker 4:Well, I mean realistically, it's letting people know that we're around, being able to find us. We have kind of a unique proposition here where we really don't. Yes, we have rentals here, but we're not like any other really rental company here that offer rentals. Usually, when you go rent things, you're renting where you're at, or, like the bicycles that we have, they're all um your drive bikes, so they're not traditional chains, so they don't rust. Uh, they're whisper quiet. Um, they're great for seaside coastal areas. Um, you know. But it was finding us on, you know, on the internet, and be able to build a website. Michelle and I built our website by ourselves, every day, working very hard, so working on SEO and writing. You know the product pages that were. People will find you if you're searching for us.
Speaker 3:I mean, that was yeah, I think that's been the biggest. I mean there's obviously when you start a business, there's a lot of challenges. I think something that probably the general public doesn't understand is the importance of writing reviews, liking a page, writing a comment on, because it's not just as easy like the old days where you could just advertise in the newspaper. Google controls what people see and I don't think that, like I said, the general public really understands that that until you get so many reviews, um, and people visiting your page, um, that Google will start to have you in their search results. So that's been the greatest. The biggest probably um learning and and trying to overcome um, which we have a great customer base and a great community. So that's really allowed us to get there faster, but it's a continuous work in progress, like your website is never done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's, it's a constant. Like you said, it's constantly evolving. And one thing I did learn too is, like you know, even if you're a customer or fan, liking or more more, even better, is loving a post helps that business and helps them get that exposure, Like you mentioned, through Google, through Facebook. So, if you really support a local business, like and love their posts because it helps everybody, it brings attention to the community and Google goes what's going on over here? We're going to send people over here.
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2:So, getting back to the, the, the recreation side of things, are there certain things? You mentioned the paddle boards, but are there certain pieces of equipment that are trending or new technologies that are out there?
Speaker 3:I would definitely say electric bikes are the craze and where the greatest interest is and what I think that's probably been another learning moment for us is it's not just about getting people outdoors, it's also people that are rehabilitating, like we have a lot of people that have come in and are buying electric bikes to rehab a knee replacement or a hip replacement. You know we had someone with a back surgery that didn't go well, trying to, you know, rehabilitate and stay active.
Speaker 4:So it's been trying to find the vehicle or the thing that can that can keep you active and kind of keep moving. And you know that we have a lot. It's just it's. We have a lot of couples that come in and maybe the husband is an avid cyclist or the wife We've seen it both ways and the other one wants to go cycling with them. So one one is never going to buy an e-bike and the other one is going to buy. But the misconception is, yeah, and you know, legally your e-bike can go up to 28 miles per hour. Most of the bikes that we sell are set to 20. You can unlock them to go faster. Most people never lock them to go more than 20.
Speaker 4:Pedal assist one helps you get up to maybe eight or nine miles per hour, which is normally. If you just get out on a bike, you're normally pedaling that anyways. So you know the husband's or the wife is riding the norm. You know the non-electric bike and the other person's in pedal assist one and it's a perfect fit. You know we've had husbands and wives come in and, um, one will buy the trike and the other one will buy a different bike. Um, we have some that live up the road. They go to the beach every day and they load up their trike and beach chairs and everything and they go, go to the beach and have a ball. So it's been great. There's so many different use cases, so many different. You know reasons why you'd want one.
Speaker 3:And I think people the misnomer out there is that you can't exercise on an electric bike. That couldn't be the furthest from the truth. Like in, you can use an electric bike with no with it out, it turned on, and it's just a regular bike and it's just helping you. It's not replay. You know, the only time that you're not getting exercise is when you're using the throttle. Um, and you can see those people.
Speaker 4:Their legs aren't moving and it's like okay yeah, you quickly pick up what's what's happening after you kind of understand, yeah, um, the e-bike experience. But there's a lot of people that you know know use Pedal Assist 1 and are getting great exercise on having a ball. Yeah, there's just so many different uses and you mentioned.
Speaker 2:It's better for the I want to say the atmosphere around here. With the salt in the air. It's better than a cane bike, right? Yes, yeah.
Speaker 3:A lot of our bikes. Well, all of our rentals have what they call a carbon gates. Well, a carbon uh belt drive. So, um, you can have them down to the beach, you can leave them outdoors and they're not going to be and there's basically zero maintenance bikes.
Speaker 4:So they're great bikes to own because you really don't have to worry about pink chains, rusty chains, a bunch of stuff, greasing the chain, all that stuff, yeah, but we also, like in our store, we have all the different. We have mountain bike, commuter bikes, folding bikes, lighter folding bikes, trikes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like we have one that's you know you talk about in a, you know innovative being innovative. We have a electric bike that only weighs 37 pounds. It's it's made out of carbon fiber.
Speaker 4:But we have them here so you can test ride them, you can check them out and go through all the questions. We have people that know these bikes come in and are like I want this bike and they try it. I'm like, well, do you want to try this other bike? You never know, there's different use cases and they'll try a couple different bikes and some of them never buy the one that they thought that they were coming in. They did all the research and they're like, wow, this one. This makes so much more sense for me, so it's good.
Speaker 2:yeah, it's a great offer that we have so you mentioned a lot of different products right there, but what's what's one thing that you think that somebody new coming in and checking out the bikes? Is there something maybe they should try or start with?
Speaker 3:honestly. I think it's about keeping your mind open and while knowing what's important to you and trying, like Brian said, different bikes, because some people will come in and they will think that they know exactly what they want and then, when they try a different type of bike, they end up loving that one and going with that one. So I think that's the benefit of having a brick and mortar store so people can come in and actually try the bikes and end up with the one that you want. We've had several customers that have tried to buy something straight from online with never seeing it, and it typically is not a recipe for success.
Speaker 4:And then the other one is they come in somebody who's never been on an e-bike. They come in like I want an e-bike that goes 45 miles per hour. And I say have you ever been on an e-bike? And they said no. I'm like, okay, well, let's go through the process. So we do the whole thing.
Speaker 4:They end up buying a bike. I talk to them. I usually check in with them a couple weeks later. How's everything going? They're like great, I love it. I'm like and I always follow up how fast are you going? What level pedal assist? And they say I'm probably in like two or three. I'm like what's the top speed? I go in about 15 miles per hour, you know. So it's funny. You kind of think and e-bikes are getting a bad, e-bikes no. And my, my, my good friend, who's um tied in, he sent me something that lee county just I think the sheriffs. They came out and said legal e-bikes are bikes that go 28 miles, you know, per hour or less. That is that's what we thought. We that yeah, the united states really, e-bike that goes faster than 28 and a 750 watt motor is um.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like those bikes that you see, the thing that gives e-bikes a bad rap are those kids that are on, the ones that go like and they're really electric dirt bikes. They go like 50, 55 miles per hour and you see them with their full, you know faced helmets doing you know wheelies. That is not the business that we're in. We don't support that.
Speaker 4:So yeah, and those are dangerous and those aren't safe. Yeah, so yeah, and those are dangerous and those aren't safe. Yeah, so you hear that?
Speaker 2:Recreation right.
Speaker 3:You know the other thing, jim, that we should mention that, like, like, we, we opened our business here not to compete with other businesses that are, you know, trying to come back. Our business is very different that we started our online store first and really we do the rental so people can get experience with our products. And so, like, if someone's down visiting from Minnesota, let's say, and they take one of our e-bikes out, whether it's for a test ride, or they rent it for the week or whatever, they can come back and if they've rented it, they can roll their rental into buying the bike, and then we could get up to a couple of days and then we can ship it to them and have it for free and have it at their doorstep.
Speaker 4:But when they, you know, get back home, we call it our Tesla waters program, so you can do that, whether we've had people do it with kayaks, paddle boards, bikes, bikes, everything.
Speaker 3:So it works really well. It's something we stole from the ski industry.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the ski industry. So if you're in Aspen and you have a snowboard shipped to you or skis, they ask hey, you want to buy this, it's the same thing, but we're going to ship you a new product and it's going to be home. Come back off.
Speaker 2:That is great. I love that. That's a great idea.
Speaker 4:How can we get more people out having fun? That's our mission, that's it.
Speaker 2:Speaking about having fun outside of work. I know owning a business could be very demanding of your time, but when you get a moment of free time, what do you enjoy doing?
Speaker 3:Well, a lot of what we do we bring to people here like we love to be outside enjoying what life has to offer. You know, whether it's e-biking, paddle boarding, you know we love being on the water and by the water Like neither one of us could imagine living anywhere that's not near water.
Speaker 4:So yeah, yeah, Anything, anything, I just like being by the water.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, right so whether it's, I won't ask you your favorite spots, because we don't want to give that away, right?
Speaker 3:no, exactly yeah, yeah, one of our vacation spots is a luthra in the bahamas, and it's a. It's a um island that's 112 miles long and completely up and down both coasts is all beach. You can walk for miles and not see another soul because there's so many beaches there. It's like Castaway, it's like Tom Hanks. Wow, we love walking beaches and all that fun stuff.
Speaker 2:I might have to check that out. I like my quiet beaches. I just think it's so sweet about being out there by yourself. We've been there beaches. You know. I just think it's so sweet about being out there by yourself.
Speaker 4:We've been there a bunch of times and I think we passed one couple once, once Yep, and as we were walking by, we're both kind of looking at each other like where'd you come from? Miles and miles of beach, both ways Empty.
Speaker 2:Crazy. I love it. So how would our listeners go about contacting you if they wanted to learn more or had some questions?
Speaker 3:Well, in this connected world that we live in, there's, there's a ton of options. You can go to our website, which is CurrentRidersFMB. com, which also links to our online retail store as well, which is CurrentRiderscom.
Speaker 4:Oh you did the FMB first.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I did the fmb first. Um, obviously we'd love to have people stop in, uh, but you can call us at 833-743-2787 um. Text us call um. But yeah, facebook, we're on all the social media, so we have a facebook page yeah, all those are current riders. Yep, facebook, instagram, tik TOK YouTube. So we're not there's. People will not be short of finding a way to get ahold of us.
Speaker 2:There we go, perfect, perfect, brian. Michelle has been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for being such good neighbors and we'll see you out at the beach soon.
Speaker 1:Thank you Awesome thank you, awesome thanks, take care. Thank you. Thanks for tuning in to the fort myers beach good neighbor podcast, where community meets paradise. If you loved what you heard, share it with a friend and keep the good vibes going until next time. Stay sunny, stay salty and keep being a good neighbor. Also, to nominate your favorite neighbors, local legends, heroes or island businesses to be on the show, go to cabo wabo jim. com that's CaboWaboJim. com, or call 239-427-4100. We want to send out some island love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance USA and Home Well Care Services Fort Myers. They are the businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener, from local stories to the positive vibe of island life. Here's to celebrating all that makes Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise.