TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — It's the perfect location for a bike business. Some may say it's also the perfect location for a bar.
Ed Mullaly started Neptune Cyclery back in the 1990s. He knew he'd find success with his bike business, but he was unsure about starting the bar next door, Neptune Lounge.
Fast forward to 2020 and the bike business found huge success.
"I knew that a bar would be shut down. I assumed they would probably shut my bike shop down. But it became an essential business, which I understood people really do need their bikes. People get to work and stuff that we don't think about just recreationally. But it is. So, the bars closed doing nothing. But I have a bike shop and Trinity too. And they're off the chain. You can't keep a bike in bikes became toilet paper," explains Mulally.
Neptune Lounge, on the other hand, did not. It's still closed due to COVID-19.
Pre-pandemic it's home to all kinds of local bands trying to get their start.
"I'm going to slowly start reopening (the bar) in June and hopefully bring bands back. Hopefully over the summer for sure. I did a festival here called Tarpon Fest, two of them. And now that third one got canceled because of COVID. But that's a big thing too. I'm going to bring that back. So it's an outdoor and indoor event." explains Mulally.
