Family combines love of powersports with business

Central Texas Powersports is one of the few powersports stores in the country to offer a wide range of motor vehicles spanning from motorcycles to watercraft and bicycles, according to its owner.

Owner Steve Littlefield has worked in the motorcycle industry since he was 16 years old. He purchased his first store when he was in Wichita Falls, and primarily sold bicycles, along with motorcycle parts and accessories. He owned two stores when he purchased part of Eddie Hills Fun Cycles in Wichita Falls, but later began to look for a new location in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

He became interested in Central Texas Powersports after studying the Georgetown area. In 2004, he moved to Georgetown with his wife and son, who also work at the business.

"Normally when I look at a dealership, I take a protractor and draw a 35-mile circle around the business because that's going to be about 95 percent of your business," Littlefield said. "That pretty much took in Fort Hood, Temple, Killeen, Austin and Georgetown, as well as the surrounding areas like Liberty Hill, Hutto and Taylor."

When he first purchased the Georgetown store, the business offered Yamaha and Suzuki vehicles and motorcycles, along with a few utility vehicles and four-wheelers, but not watercraft. The business moved to its new location on North Austin Avenue in September 2009 and now sells a little of everything, Littlefield said, including watercraft, motorcycles, ATVs and utility vehicles.

"The nice thing about being a power sports dealer, as opposed to being a motorcycle dealer, is we sell toys. That's all we sell," Littlefield said. "And people's desire for toys change. It'll go through a stage where the general public wants watercraft, or they'll want Polaris Rangers, or sport bikes, or cruisers, or bicycles. So it's nice to be diversified like that where you've got products for everyone."

Even though Littlefield has always been interested in motorcycles, he was first in the bicycle business in Wichita Falls. While he operates the entire store, his son Paul primarily runs the bicycle department.

"I got him racing bicycles. He started racing BMX when he was about 5," Littlefield said. "He's pretty much been a bicycle enthusiast like I've been a motorcycle enthusiast all my life."

Paul was managing a large bike shop in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, though Littlefield convinced him to move to Georgetown to run the bicycle department at Central Texas Powersports. The two now operate the business together, along with the help of Steve's wife, Teresa.

"I like Georgetown because I can ride my bike here out of traffic. That's important to me," Paul said. "I love riding in the city, but it's nice to have the option to escape."

The business offers a 15 percent discount off all parts, accessories and service for active duty military every Thursday. The store will soon offer the same program every Wednesday for police and fire departments.

"This is family-owned, so there's a huge difference in atmosphere," said Angela Walker, who works in the service department and previously worked at a dealership in Austin. "The employees, the process here are 100 times better than a corporate store."

Central Texas Powersports, 2534 N. Austin Ave., 948-9922, www.ctpowersports.com