Here we are at the 15th Annual “Sturgis” Mississippi Motorcycle Rally located at the fairgrounds of Davenport, Iowa. July 17-20, 2009.

June 17th
“Set-up Day” filled our hearts with anticipation of all the fun yet to be shared. Our makeshift outside store was ready for business at our first biker rally event experience. Derek, Emily and I enjoyed meeting the kind and supportive surrounding veteran vendors on all sides of our location.

June 18th
Sunshine started the day on our fabulous Biker Britches display – the big debut of our idea! The “free-spirit-of-the-ride” attitude had manifested itself in designs to be worn privately – or not so privately – just as long as participants can take the thrill of the ride with them while on their bike, or off it. We hope that each Biker Britches wearer will feel the true value of their purchase.

We loved the sound and sight of the bikes rolling in, filling our hearts with that one-of-a-kind free spirit attitude.

People found their way to our panty and hog hut (boxer briefs) designs. They browsed, bought, smiled and giggled as the passed through and made their way through the all the vendors. Goal number one was being met!

Just as we were enjoying our first sales, the weather took a turn… threatening black clouds with increasing winds. Derek and Emily left to buy blue tarps while I stayed to hold down the fort. Before they could return, Mother Nature let me know what wind, heavy rain, hail and lightning would feel like as I held onto the frame of our cabana. A fellow vendor joined my efforts as we gratefully watched the storm pass.

Derek, Emily and I mopped the water off of our panty bins – and we resumed our smiles for the remaining biker participants who forged on despite the grey sky that lingered the rest of that day.

June 19th
The lovely sunshine was slow to show, so Derek, Emily and I kicked our positive attitude into high gear the second day of our debut. An increasing number of bikes were rolling in. Simply witnessing and hearing the roar of the bikes has always engaged that free-spirit attitude down deep in my bones.

We were excited to mingle with our patrons. Fun and sales were happening as the news reached us that yet another super cell was moving in. This time, a fellow vendor who has a siding business offered to let us secure our panty bins inside his display. Yea!

We all went to the huge main tent along with many other vendors and biker participants to hang out and let the storm blow through. The super cell hit big, sending the huge tent flapping and capturing many under it. I ran out from under the flailing giant tarp top while looking for Emily and Derek, only to discover Emily holding her leg yelling “I’m hurt!”.

Derek had her by the arm, both hunched in a stance and bracing against the incredible strong wind and torrential downpour of rain. I saw a hole in Emily’s lower leg, and Derek immediately took off his very special bandana and quickly wrapped it around her wound. Each of us holding an arm, we raced Emily to the car and immediately to the local hospital. The good news was that whatever hit Emily went straight through and did not hit the Achilles tendon. The wound was impacted with mud making surgery necessary.

The sun came back out, and the event was back on – but Biker Britches remained closed. Emily was released from the hospital the following morning at 3:30 AM.

June 20th
The sunshine was out in full force. Derek and I opened our outside store by 9 AM, with gratitude that Emily was healing and knowing that this would be a grand day to share the free-spirit attitude.

Emily was an inspiration while in the hospital. When asked about the pain, she bravely stated: “There are many over there (at war) that have laid in the desert waiting for help, and the results for our soldiers are most often far beyond our experiences. I’ve got nothing, nothing, to complain about.”

Thank God we live in the land of the Free.

Please view the pictures form the event. Thank you to one and all who enjoyed the days with us, and a special thanks to all who made the first (of many, I hope) Biker Britches purchases!

Yours truly,
Connie

I’m Connie, creator of Biker Britches, a line of intimate apparel aimed at ladies who love to ride, and I welcome you to my inaugural blog post.

If you’ve found me here, I’m betting you’re a biking enthusiast like me, and I hope you’ll visit often – as we’re just getting warmed up. Our website will be fully functional very soon and there you’ll be able to view our product line 24/7 and keep up with our calendar of events. In the meantime, I’d like to tell you a little bit more about me and how this all came about.

I’m a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and best friend. I have been fortunate enough to have experienced a couple of lifestyles – from farming to building a trucking company – without two nickels to rub together. From driving eighteen wheels to being the leader of our group (with no one being more important than the other), we all earned a living. I have gratefully enjoyed everything from international travel, to basking on a lake, or sitting by my pond amazed and amused by God’s grace that surrounds us every day.

As you can see, I have many interests and wear many hats, but possess only one true passion… hittin’ the highway on my Harley! Through all of my life’s adventures, I’ve found nothing that quite compares to the feeling of the wind in my face and being in total control of the power moving me forward. The freedom of being out on the open road with no constraints is nothing short of pure, unadulterated glee.

So, how does this all add up to panties?

Well, a few years back, my life took a turn I didn’t see coming. A couple of monumental events occurred within a short period of time, and I was left with a new outlook on life – a reminder to keep my eyes wide open and a bonus refresher course on the value of believing in dreams and how our attitudes affect us every step of the way. It took awhile, but after all that went down, I picked myself up, dusted off my leather jacket and knew I was ready for a new business venture.

You know how sometimes you stumble onto an idea by accident? It could be as simple as realizing there’s not a convenience store for 10 miles and maybe somebody should open one right here to realizing how fun it would be hauling your ass in a pair of sassy, sexy biker panties while you’re holding it between the ditches. Well, that is how Biker Britches was born. I share my idea. I share my dream. I share my passion.

I now employ a team of dedicated and talented professionals who are hands-on with every aspect of Biker Britches’ business. Our designs are uniquely our own. We print, press and send each one off with a dose of love and gratitude. We are committed to first-class customer service and your total satisfaction is our goal. We want Biker Britches to enhance the feeling of your own free spirit attitude with each new dawn. Biking in good weather, as well as sometimes, enduring the winter blues. We are committed to a product of more use and value than the dollar spent. Our ultimate goal is to produce totally US-made panties while employing many fun-seekers in the process. I look forward to hearing what you think about our products.

Be safe, have fun and remember: Biker Britches is the only thing that should ever come between you and your motorcycle!

xoxo,

Connie

Come celebrate with us at the largest two-day street fair in the Midwest. Don’t miss your chance to experience Biker Britches at one of the country’s finest festivals!

N. Halsted Street, between Belmont and Addison
Chicago, IL

Read more about this event! >>

Stop in and check out Biker Britches on your freedom ride. Experience the freedom and comfort of our custom-made panties and briefs!

Join us for the largest gathering of motorcycles in the Midwest! Take advantage of the opportunity to see our hot new product line!

Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds
2815 W Locust St
Davenport, IA 52804

Read more about this event! >>

Find out more about how Biker Britches was created, and catch up on the team’s preparation for the upcoming Sturgis Mississippi River Motorcycle Rally.

Read the article! >>

To our delight, our business was recently featured in the Quad City Times Business News section. Please read the article or watch the video to learn more about how we started, and where we’re headed! Read the article! >>

Derek Dlouhy, left, Emily Smyers, middle, and Connie Fitzer, right, work in Connie's home printing designs on underwear for their company, Biker Britches.

Photo credit: Larry Fisher/QUAD-CITY TIMES

News announcement from the River Cities’ Reader:

A new business will debut at the Sturgis on the River motorcycle rally, held June 18 to 20 in Davenport: Biker Britches, offering a variety of panties, boxers, and T-shirts with custom graphic designs capturing the spirit of riding a bike.