by Eric A Thomas

For 58 years the Village Cyclery’s sales and repairs helped area cyclists stay mobile. When the South Jacksonville business closed in 2017, it left a void. Outside of the do-it-yourselfers, people in need of repairs have had to travel – until now.

A local couple has stepped in to fill that void, bringing cycle repair help (and soon sales) closer once again.

Colin and Jaclyn “Jackie” Kuchy of Winchester, have taken Colin Kucky’s love and passion for the sport of cycling and turned it into a business. An avid cyclist for many years, Kuchy enjoys road riding, mountain biking and gravel riding. His background with bikes is considerable. He began wrenching in a bike shop in Decatur, then served as the bike and service shop area manager at Scheel’s All Sports in Springfield, and finally went to work for Trek Bicycle as an inside sales rep before eventually becoming a territory manager.

Currently operating out of their “satellite location,” which is their home garage at 124 N. High St. in Winchester, he is offering tune-ups, repairs and restorations. Jackie Kuchy has been very involved with the Winchester Civic Group’s efforts to revitalize the town and reports, “This business venture really surfaced as a way to serve the community and contribute to the ongoing progress our small town has been making these last few years.”

They purchased a building off the downtown square at 21 S. Main Street and have been renovating it to suit their needs. The two have chosen Rural Cyclery for the business’ name and are hoping to move into their storefront location in late July.

“Renovating old buildings such as this takes time, and our schedule gets nudged back every now and then. We are doing our best to get this work completed so we can expand our business,” says Kuchy.

During his years of working in the bike industry, Colin Kuchy would often talk with his wife about the possibility of opening their own shop. She said, “With the craziness that was 2020, we found ourselves reevaluating our passions and purpose. We officially decided to take the leap of faith in January 2021 and then purchased our future storefront in early February.”

Once moved into their new location, they will be a retailer and a full-service shop. They have signed an agreement with one of the top four bike manufacturers in the country, enabling them to start purchasing inventory for the sales floor. The space the new building provides will also house some other interests of the couple.

They are planning on serving coffee, using beans from Course Coffee Roasters out of St. Charles, Missouri, which is owned and operated by Brandon & Sarah Runk and Andrew Mueller. Sarah is originally from Scott County and Mueller’s grandparents also hail from there. They have been very helpful in the Kuchys planning stage.

“I have always wanted to open a coffee shop on the square. We are both fulfilling longtime dreams,” remarked Jackie Kuchy. The Kuchys also intend to offer craft beer and wine and are hoping to create an outdoor space for the 2022 season. There will be a drive-through window to accommodate their customers. The upstairs of the building is a two-bedroom apartment and once the renovation of that is completed, they plan to make it a rentable space for events and overnight guests.

Colin Kuchy also works as a sales representative at Westermeyer Industries and Jackie Kucky is the principal at North Greene Elementary in Roodhouse. The couple has three children under the age of six: Norah, Vivian and Everett. They also have an older daughter, Michaela, who lives in Houston.

You can reach Rural Cyclery by calling or texting their shop phone at 217-742-4025. Find them via Facebook by searching @ruralcyclery or “Rural Cyclery.”