Fast-forward to the present, and Mark now has nothing but a brillo pad’s worth of stubble upon his head. Little do I know that right now, as I stand in the middle of Stanwood Velo Sport, staring at a man who looks to have lost a fight with a razor blade, I’m in fact seeing Mark amidst the achievement of his dreams.

One of Mark’s dreams was to own a bike shop.

Another of Mark’s dreams he shared with his wife Rochelle, and it was for her to become pregnant with their second child.

“One day I told her I wouldn’t cut my hair until she was pregnant.” Says Mark as I continue to stand in the middle of his shop, gazing at his lack of hair. “I don’t think she actually heard me. I may have said it kind of off-hand. But a few months later she asked when I was going to get a haircut & I reminded her. Last week, we learned she was pregnant. I marched into the bathroom & grabbed the shavers…”

The other dream started 13 years ago when a high-school version of Mark (possibly also with hippie hair) began spending his summers working at Stanwood Velo Sport (SVS.)  It was then owned by a couple who had run the shop since its inception. At the time, the small town of Stanwood was the smaller town of Stanwood and the bike shop was a gathering place for some of the town’s colorful characters (otherwise known as cyclists.)

“Prior to high school and my time working at SVS, my family traveled back and forth across the West Coast. My mother was the breadwinner and had a job with the school system. We’d be planted into a new town where she’d advise a new school program. After a while we’d be uprooted and moved to a new program, in a new town. OR, ID, OH, CA, back to OR… it was kind of like a permanent vacation and kind of like never having a hometown.”

After high school, Mark earned a degree in business, followed by a position behind a desk making sales calls as a financial advisor.

Few things drive a person to their bicycle faster the making cold calls from a cubicle.

“Pretty soon I was swinging through SVS as a customer, checking in with the owners & hanging out with the staff. The owners were getting up there in their years and were looking to retire. They offered me the chance to buy the shop. But I felt too young, too scared…”

The shop was purchased by the local wood-shop teacher.

Officially leaving any cubicle-based pursuits, Mark again began working at SVS. After a few years of employment, however, SVS began to experience certain financial difficulties and Mark was laid-off.

“Looking back, leaving SVS worked out very well. I took a position at Redmond Cycles & commuted 126 miles round-trip (rarely by bike). The owners of Redmond Cycles had a son my age who also worked at the shop. He was learning the ropes of the business and I was able to learn alongside him. After a few years I began checking in with SVS, both by swinging through the shop and also by asking the local reps about the ‘word on the street.’”

A few months after he began his inquiries, Mark Everett, a bike mechanic lacking financial backing, but steeped in both personal & professional connections & experience, was able to “swing a deal” and purchase Stanwood Velo Sport.

“Our grand opening was a ghost-town. We had plenty of people there, but hardly any products. Our approach has been every time we sell one of something, we buy two. And so it grows.”

It’s a year and a half later and the shop is an explosion of color and activity.

I’m no longer in the middle of the shop. I’ve quit staring at Mark’s shiny, shaven head and am instead preparing SVS’ new Gin Optics sunglass display case. Byron Go and I are at SVS for a yearly event hosted by Mark and Rochelle called “Vendor Night.” After regular store hours, the shop doors open to a flood of excited customers. People pour in for super-discounts and a chance to talk the vendors of their favorite cycling products.

Despite the success of SVS & the coming birth of their second child, Mark has further dreams.

“Shop wise, I’d like to get things dialed & perhaps moved into a larger building in the Stanwood area. I also plan to help influence the design of Stanwood itself, as the town grows. I’m working with local leaders regarding bicycle awareness and advocacy. We’re making Stanwood a better place to ride a bicycle.”

Upon departure, I ask Mark his personal words of advice for anyone pursuing a dream. “I’m kind of old fashioned I guess. Write down your goal in a place that you’ll see every single day. Look at your dream & commit it to memory.”

Sound advice.