When Jerry and Gary Camper started the
Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop 12 years
ago just yards from the Abingdon trailhead,
their goal was to sell bikes and shuttle
riders up Whitetop Mountain. While they
were at it, they figured they’d keep a small
fleet of rentals on hand. The business
was one of the first to target the VCT bike
tourism market. The trail was seeing roughly
20,000
out-of-town visitors a year (about
one-fifth the current estimate). The brothers
knew their best strategy was to start small,
learn what their customers wanted and
build from there.
They quickly found that what their cus-
tomers most wanted was a package deal—
a sturdy mountain bike to rent for the day
and a ride up to Whitetop Station. The fleet
of 10 rental bikes quickly grew to 30, and
by 2010, the bike business had become 70
percent rental.
The Camper brothers now have a rental
inventory of about 200 bikes and offer that
rental/shuttle package. Jerry says he often
has to turn away customers who don’t make
advance reservations for the summer and
fall trail seasons. In 2011, the Campers
opened up a second location in Damascus
so they could shuttle customers easily from
both towns that serve as bookend hubs for
the VCT.
After 12 years of serving VCT riders
(
many of whom come in big family groups),
Jerry says it’s the return customers and the
widening radius of new business that excite
him the most.
“
I’ve seen kids grow up. I’m seeing my
clients age…and I’ve met folks from as far
away as South Africa.”
Trailpreneur Spotlight:
Virginia Creeper
Trail Bike Shop
bikes onto the shuttle for hourly runs up
to the mountain, he’s grabbing the phone
to take reservations. Word has gotten out
about the beautiful, easy coast down the
mountain on the Creeper.
“
The trail has proven to be a tremen-
dous asset,” Boucher says. The Town of
Abingdon couldn’t agree more. According
to Tenille Montgomery, former market-
ing coordinator for the town, studies show
that each overnight trail visitor spends
more than $700 while staying in the area.
And according to the town’s best estimates,
trail-related tourism revenues stand at
about $25 million a year.
Merchants aren’t the only beneficiaries.
Wayne Miller, president of the Virginia
Creeper Trail Club, says homeowners have
seen jumps in property value, the artisans
and musicians of an Abingdon-based folk-
culture collective are finding new outlets,
and farmers enjoy growing demand for
their produce. In fact, some of the farm-
ers who once vocally opposed the trail—
Moore’s old patients—now leave baskets of
free vegetables and flowers for trail users.
And trespassing on private land hasn’t
been a problem: The trail’s woods, rolling
hills and meadows—and 47 trestles over
gorges and rivers—keep riders focused on
the adventure in front of them.
“
Creepers Barter”—and Stop for Cake
To serve the needs and interests of the
growing number of out-of-town visitors,
trail stakeholders studied where VCT visi-
tors go and what they do during their stay.
A few findings were obvious: People com-
ing to ride the trail stay at trail-accessible
inns and cottages. They patronize the bike
rental/shuttle shops and stop at trailside
eateries.
But some less obvious findings also
emerged, with implications for future out-
reach efforts. Miller points to the Barter
Theatre, Abingdon’s biggest cultural draw.
A large percentage of overnight trail visi-
tors buy tickets for the Barter; yet, those
who come mainly for the performances
rarely visit the trail—demonstrating the
way in which the trail serves as a conduit
by which people are drawn to, and reach,
local civic attractions. “Creepers Barter,
but Barters don’t Creep,” Miller chuckles.
Of course, Creepers do a lot more than
“
Barter.” They get off the trail to enjoy
whatever local color (and food and drink)
they can spot from their bike seats. They
buy souvenirs at the hundred-year-old
Green Cove
train station,
sample local
craft brews at
the two trail-
side micro-
breweries and
taste the wines
at Abingdon
Vineyard &
Winery. The Creeper Trail Café, a packed
trailside lunch stop near the base of the
mountain, embodies the leisurely spirit of
the VCT. Customers chat and greet one
another while waiting in line to order a
burger and a slice of the owner’s famous
chocolate cake. A large world map behind
the register, swathed
in a rainbow of
pushpins, reminds
guests that the trail
has become a des-
tination for trail
enthusiasts from the
world over.
Fred Leonard
owns the Damascus
Old Mill Inn, a
12-
room bed and
breakfast with a full-
service restaurant
located just a block
from the Damascus
trailhead. His hotel
guests are a mix of
VCT riders and theatergoers, “folks who
want a little more upscale experience.” The
restaurant guests who come off the trail,
he says, want to have a nice dinner or just
sit outside with a cold drink. “Here in
Damascus,” Leonard explains, “since we’re
the gateway to the most popular recre-
ational part of the trail, business is always
good. And in September and October, it
just explodes.”
“
Why not
bring the bike
manufacturer
here? As
much as
possible, we
want to see
the tourism
dollars stay
local.”
—
Kevin Costello,
Abingdon economic
development director
Tyler everT/AP ImAges
Fred Leonard, owner of
the Old Mill in Damascus.
Tyler everT/AP ImAges
Jerry Camper in his bike shop in Abingdon,
Va., with patron and friend Mary Ann Moore
whose husband French Moore, was a co-
creator of the trail.
Tyler everT/AP ImAges