In 1971, Joe Belmont came home from Vietnam and did something that would outlast him: He opened a motorcycle shop. The decision was rooted in something simple: Joe loved motorcycles. He was an avid weekend dirt bike racer and always knew he wanted to work for himself, and if he was going to put 100% into a business, he wanted it to be something he was passionate about.
The decision was rooted in something simple: Joe loved motorcycles. He was an avid weekend dirt bike racer and always knew he wanted to work for himself, and if he was going to put 100% into a business, he wanted it to be something he was passionate about. He called it Big #1.
He called it Big #1. In business Joe was decisive and confident. But he was a family man at heart, calling his mother every night to check on her, being a Boy Scout Troop 105 Scoutmaster for his two children when needed, and being a devoted husband to his wife and business partner Paula Jean for over 50 years.
In business Joe was decisive and confident. But he was a family man at heart, calling his mother every night to check on her, being a Boy Scout Troop 105 Scoutmaster for his two children when needed, and being a devoted husband to his wife and business partner Paula Jean for over 50 years. Joe always had faith that his business could succeed and become a top motorsports dealership, so he wanted to name it appropriately.
Joe always had faith that his business could succeed and become a top motorsports dealership, so he wanted to name it appropriately. A shop finds its home
A shop finds its home Joe started the business in 1971 at 1813 29th Ave. S. In those years the shop included small bike brands that no longer exist, like Penton, Hodaka, Ossa and Bultaco.
Joe started the business in 1971 at 1813 29th Ave. S. In those years the shop included small bike brands that no longer exist, like Penton, Hodaka, Ossa and Bultaco. In 1976, the store moved just across the street to a larger location at 1829 29th Ave. S. The following year brought another significant change: a Yamaha franchise and the name Big #1 Yamaha.
In 1976, the store moved just across the street to a larger location at 1829 29th Ave. S. The following year brought another significant change: a Yamaha franchise and the name Big #1 Yamaha. After a brief period at the Palisades Shopping Center, Joe bought property at 227 West Valley Ave. in 1992 and expanded the dealership to Big #1 Motorsports with brands like Suzuki, Polaris, Canam, Seadoo and Ducati.
After a brief period at the Palisades Shopping Center, Joe bought property at 227 West Valley Ave. in 1992 and expanded the dealership to Big #1 Motorsports with brands like Suzuki, Polaris, Canam, Seadoo and Ducati. After more than 20 years at that location, the business eventually resided at its current location on Cobb Street off of I-65, where it added premium brands like BMW and Indian.
After more than 20 years at that location, the business eventually resided at its current location on Cobb Street off of I-65, where it added premium brands like BMW and Indian. In the decades since, Homewood grew up around it. When Big #1 opened, the city itself was barely fifty, still building the schools and the identity it celebrates at this centennial. The dealership on Cobb Street became one of the constants: the same family, the same business, through every version of Homewood that has come and gone since.
In the decades since, Homewood grew up around it. When Big #1 opened, the city itself was barely fifty, still building the schools and the identity it celebrates at this centennial. The dealership on Cobb Street became one of the constants: the same family, the same business, through every version of Homewood that has come and gone since. The word customers keep using
The word customers keep using Read what Big #1’s customers write about the place, thousands of them over the years, and one word surfaces again and again, unprompted: family. Not as a slogan. As a description of how it felt to buy a first bike, a kid’s four-wheeler, a retirement Gold Wing.
Read what Big #1’s customers write about the place, thousands of them over the years, and one word surfaces again and again, unprompted: family. Not as a slogan. As a description of how it felt to buy a first bike, a kid’s four-wheeler, a retirement Gold Wing. For the Belmont family, that reputation traces directly back to Joe and how he felt a customer should be treated by a business.
For the Belmont family, that reputation traces directly back to Joe and how he felt a customer should be treated by a business. “Joe believed in customer service above all else,” Mindi Belmont, treasurer at Big #1 Motorsports, said.
“Joe believed in customer service above all else,” Mindi Belmont, treasurer at Big #1 Motorsports, said. Success and growth mattered, she said, but Joe believed the most powerful advertisement was what customers told people when they left the shop.
Success and growth mattered, she said, but Joe believed the most powerful advertisement was what customers told people when they left the shop. “He always felt word of mouth was the best type of advertising,” Belmont said. “If we treated our customers like family, they would return and send their friends.”
“He always felt word of mouth was the best type of advertising,” Belmont said. “If we treated our customers like family, they would return and send their friends.” That philosophy remains central to the business today. Even after a recent overhaul of the dealership’s exterior and interior, the family says there is one thing they do not want to ever change: the feeling customers get when they walk through the door.
That philosophy remains central to the business today. Even after a recent overhaul of the dealership’s exterior and interior, the family says there is one thing they do not want to ever change: the feeling customers get when they walk through the door. Their goal is to look and operate like one of the Southeast’s top dealerships while maintaining the personal experience that helped Big #1 build its reputation in the first place.
Their goal is to look and operate like one of the Southeast’s top dealerships while maintaining the personal experience that helped Big #1 build its reputation in the first place. “We will greet each and every customer with a smile and do our best to give each one a memorable experience,” Belmont said.
“We will greet each and every customer with a smile and do our best to give each one a memorable experience,” Belmont said. The next generation
The next generation Joe’s sons, Joey and Johnny, grew up in the business and watched it grow from one location with a handful of motorcycle brands into a major powersports dealership.
Joe’s sons, Joey and Johnny, grew up in the business and watched it grow from one location with a handful of motorcycle brands into a major powersports dealership. The family business is now positioning for a third generation. Johnny’s sons are both currently attending Samford University and are expected to take over the dealership in the future.
The family business is now positioning for a third generation. Johnny’s sons are both currently attending Samford University and are expected to take over the dealership in the future. The family story is, in many ways, a story of steady growth rather than one dramatic leap. Each new location created more room. Each new franchise expanded what Big #1 could offer. And as powersports products became larger and more diverse, the business continued adapting to meet those changes.
The family story is, in many ways, a story of steady growth rather than one dramatic leap. Each new location created more room. Each new franchise expanded what Big #1 could offer. And as powersports products became larger and more diverse, the business continued adapting to meet those changes. Today, that evolution continues. The dealership recently underwent a complete overhaul of its exterior and interior, as well as its sales and service areas.
Today, that evolution continues. The dealership recently underwent a complete overhaul of its exterior and interior, as well as its sales and service areas. The family is willing to change how the dealership looks and operates. What it will not change is the way customers are treated.
The family is willing to change how the dealership looks and operates. What it will not change is the way customers are treated. Big #1’s reach extends well beyond Homewood.
Big #1’s reach extends well beyond Homewood. That reputation has a radius. Riders drive in from Georgia, Tennessee and Louisiana, passing dealer after dealer, to buy from the shop on Cobb Street.
That reputation has a radius. Riders drive in from Georgia, Tennessee and Louisiana, passing dealer after dealer, to buy from the shop on Cobb Street. Mindi Belmont attributes that loyalty to two things: customer service and selection.
Mindi Belmont attributes that loyalty to two things: customer service and selection. “If you are treated like family, the drive is worth it,” she said.
“If you are treated like family, the drive is worth it,” she said. However, customer service is only part of the equation. When it comes to powersports, customers usually have very specific ideas of what they want, and keeping up with the industry means having the right inventory available.
However, customer service is only part of the equation. When it comes to powersports, customers usually have very specific ideas of what they want, and keeping up with the industry means having the right inventory available. For Big #1, that means keeping up with trends, understanding what customers want and making sure that the dealership has a broad enough selection to serve them.
For Big #1, that means keeping up with trends, understanding what customers want and making sure that the dealership has a broad enough selection to serve them. The result is a business that has grown far beyond its original neighborhood while keeping its roots firmly planted in Homewood.
The result is a business that has grown far beyond its original neighborhood while keeping its roots firmly planted in Homewood.
Big #1 could have moved anywhere in 55 years. Bigger highways, cheaper land, flashier corridors all beckoned. It stayed. Homewood provides Big #1 with a central location in the Birmingham metro area that is easily accessible to a wide range of customers. But accessibility is not the only reason the family has remained in Homewood.
Homewood provides Big #1 with a central location in the Birmingham metro area that is easily accessible to a wide range of customers. But accessibility is not the only reason the family has remained in Homewood. “It is the city itself that has always treated us right,” Belmont said.
“It is the city itself that has always treated us right,” Belmont said. The city has allowed the dealership to move several times and provided enough room to stock the selection customers need, especially since powersport products have gotten larger. Big #1 also makes a point of opening its events to the community, with food trucks, grill-outs and entertainment. “It’s always open to our Homewood neighbors,” Belmont said.
The city has allowed the dealership to move several times and provided enough room to stock the selection customers need, especially since powersport products have gotten larger. Big #1 also makes a point of opening its events to the community, with food trucks, grill-outs and entertainment. “It’s always open to our Homewood neighbors,” Belmont said.
The Homewood Police Department has also been there to assist the dealership countless times in the middle of the night, whether responding to a false alarm or a real incident. Officers have also assisted with demo rides and bike nights.
For 55 years, through a city’s transformation and a family’s two generations, Big #1 has stayed exactly where it started, treating the people who walk in the way the name always promised. In a city built by people who bet on staying, that is as Homewood as it
In a city built by people who bet on staying, that is as Homewood as it gets.
