PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2023

His partners left the business. Pes tien’s Bushwhacker store in Peoria was the lone survivor. As his building lease was about to expire and parking was becoming more difficult, Pestien considered several new locations. Pestien met with Marv Goodman, the founder and then-owner of Metro Centre. Goodman predicted that if Bush whacker moved to his shopping center, business would increase 30% the first year, 20% the second, 10% the third. Pestien was skeptical, but picked up and moved to Metro Centre in 1985. “Goodman had never been skiing in his life and was not a backpacker, but he ‘knew business.’ I thought he would be wrong and he was wrong. We were up 33% the first year, 22% the second and 11% the third. “We got into downhill skiing, the patio furniture and finally got out of the red. We’d had a big negative net worth for a long time. In ’86, a year after moving to Metro Centre, we had a big survivor party.” Pestien convinced Goodman to build him a new, stand-alone facility at Metro Centre in 1991. NEW PRODUCT LINES Pestien and his vice president, Sally Brown, had often discussed getting into the bicycle business, but there was already a specialty bike store in town and one was plenty. When it went out of business, Bushwhacker seized the opportunity. “That’s kept going and we keep expanding it little by little. We are a top 120 bike dealer in the country,” said Pestien. Through the years, Pestien has always looked for the next big, fun thing in outdoor recreation. In the early ’80s, windsurfing was regarded as the fastest growing sport in the world. Brown and Pestien both became certified wind-surfing instructors and the store sold about 50 boards a year. “That business helped keep us going for a while,” he said.

Rich Pestien is owner and president of Bushwhacker

“Skateboarding became popular for the kids. We sold $100,000 in skateboards around ’84 or ’85,” he said. Then came downhill skiing. Again, Pestien and Brown learned to ski, then began selling the equipment. By 1986, roller blading had become popular, and again Pestien and his VP learned the latest craze. Through the years, Bushwhacker sold a lot of patio furniture. “People would kind of laugh at us: ‘What is this, Lawn Whacker?’ Well, you know, even the dedicated outdoorsman needs to sit down and relax once in a while,” Pestien said. “We like good quality skis, we like good quality packs and boots, and we like good quality patio furniture.” MOVING ONCE MORE After 30 years at Metro Centre, the Bushwhacker lease was set to expire in 2015. Goodman was deceased and Pestien knew that moving forward, the store needed more room. He negotiated the purchase of an acre in Junction City shopping center, found an architect and builder, and six months later had relocated to the current loca tion fronting Knoxville Avenue. Business at the Junction City location has been good, said Pestien, but at 72

“I’m still working six days a week. I haven’t retired.” Brown retired when the store moved to its current location. During those early years of rock climbing, Pestien met an outdoors woman, Barb, who became his wife and remains an outdoorswoman today, said Pestien. The couple have one daughter in Col orado, Jamie, who skis and snowboards, and another daughter, Robin, who is a physical therapy doctor in Alaska. “She’s out there hiking and biking with the moose and the bears.” Pestien said Bushwhacker has sur vived because he has never really wanted to do anything else. As for the future, “I’d like to keep the store going in Peoria. It’s kind of a cool local thing and I’d rather not sell it to somebody outside of town,” he said. “I still like it, although I don’t run as fast, I don’t ski as fast, and I don’t roller blade as fast.”

Linda Smith Brown is a 37-year veteran of the newspaper industry, retiring as publisher of Times Newspapers in the Peoria area

MAY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 41