Founded by a mechanical enthusiast, La ScooterShop quickly established itself as a leader in electric recreational vehicles and motorized mobility aids (MMAs). Now located in Saint-Eustache on the North Shore of Montreal, the shop continues to excel through its unwavering commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. This article will take you through Daniel’s inspiring journey from humble beginnings in a family garage to establishing the go-to place in Saint-Eustache for recreational vehicles, including electric scooters, electric bikes, electric kick scooters, as well as 3-wheel and 4-wheel mobility scooters. Read on to discover our founder’s answers to the five questions below, which will help you better understand the world of La ScooterShop.
- Tell us about your journey
My entrepreneurial spirit manifested itself early. By the time I was six or seven, I was selling various items, leveraging my natural ease in approaching people and talking about my products or services. This ability to communicate and sell was honed over time and served me well into adulthood when I ventured into the automotive sector, a field I was passionate about. However, economic difficulties caused by rising interest rates in 1982 forced me to leave that field.
Not wanting to give up my desire for independence, I then turned to courier services, specializing in the transport and delivery of packages, documents and valuables. This new start allowed me to drive all day long, satisfying my need for freedom while supporting myself, which was a real privilege for me. Continuing on this path, I worked on my own and in 1984 I founded Courrier MD, which grew from 2 to 93 employees, reflecting the motivation that still drives me today.
In 2000, I decided to move to Saint-Eustache. I was looking for new challenges and to pursue my entrepreneurial ambitions. Eight years later, I opened La ScooterShop and this was the beginning of a new family adventure, as my children joined me in this endeavor.
- What made you start La ScooterShop?
I started La ScooterShop because I saw how much having a scooter helped my kids. As a single dad, I wanted to make sure they could get around easily and hang out with their friends. It wasn’t just practical – it also sparked their interest in engines and motorcycles, something I’ve always been into myself.
But like any motorized vehicle, these scooters needed regular maintenance, and sometimes they’d break down. Finding a good repair shop was difficult, especially since the shops we tried didn’t seem to take the kids seriously and would just sell us anything. It became pretty clear that there was a niche we could fill, so we started fixing scooters right in our garage. It worked well, and before we knew it, we were buying scooters and fixing them up to sell.
After about three years of working out of our garage, we opened La ScooterShop here in Saint-Eustache. As the market started to shift towards electric vehicles, we seized the opportunity to adapt to this new market by importing directly, cutting out the middleman and ensuring that our customers get the highest quality products. Since 2018, we’ve visited China several times to keep up with the latest industry developments and further deepen our expertise.
For more than 20 years, our company has specialized in motorized mobility aids (MMAs), such as tricycles and quadricycles. These devices are designed to overcome walking difficulties and significantly improve the quality of life of our customers. In addition to importing, selling and distributing, we also offer a comprehensive repair and maintenance service, providing a thorough after-sales service that meets all of our customers’ needs.
- Where does your clientele come from? From Saint-Eustache or from all over the province of Quebec?
While the majority of our customers reside in the surrounding regions of Saint-Eustache, our clientele extends throughout the province, from Ottawa to Quebec City and even as far as Abitibi.
One of our main strengths is our online presence, which allows our customers to discover the exceptional quality of our products, far superior to those offered by our competitors. This excellent reputation is the result of our continuous efforts, including our trips to China, where we have established much higher quality standards than our competitors.
We do not just sell our products as they are; we continuously improve them. Before offering them to our customers, we make personalized modifications according to their requests and take care to correct problems identified during previous repairs. Our goal is to provide the best
- Do you have any other passions besides motorized or electric vehicles?
I am a passionate person. My motto is simple and applies to both my professional activities and my personal relationships: I give my all to everything I do, otherwise I would rather not do it at all.
Beyond my passion for performance and speed, I appreciate the finer things in life. However, I am most passionate about bringing joy to others. The satisfaction of my customers is crucial to me; it’s truly rewarding. Knowing that our products are helping my customers regain their wellness, autonomy and independence gives me real satisfaction every day.
This becomes even more meaningful as I get older and begin to experience the challenges of aging myself. It becomes more difficult to ask for help, and I am not always comfortable asking others for services. That’s why I understand so well how important it is for my clients to be able to move freely. For me, the real joy of my work is helping people regain their independence and freedom.
- What new features and surprises are in store for this new season?
With the start of the new season, we are excited to introduce some new additions to La ScooterShop. Our range of vehicles has been expanded with several models that offer more storage space and can travel over 100 kilometers on a single charge, which is very appealing to our customers who value autonomy and freedom.
Stay tuned for more surprises! Follow us on our Facebook and Instagram pages to find out what we’ll be revealing soon. If you’re in the Saint-Eustache area, don’t hesitate to visit our store! We’ll be happy to welcome you and show you our wide range of products designed to meet your mobility needs. There’s a lot to choose from!
