It’s official.  I want one — a scooter!

I went to visit Phil’s Scooter Shop at Girard and Columbia last week and well, I’m a smitten kitten.  Phil Broomall is amazing.  She is a hard-working single Mom who is making a living doing something she loves.  Phil lives in the Franklin Mills section of the city and scoots to and from work every morning.  Although she admits to loving her car, she’s begun a serious relationship with her scooter.  She was leery at first, compulsively checking the weather for signs of rain.  However, she now runs out the door each morning, helmet under her arm, no longer fearful of the weather.  Phil explained that scooters are safe if you learn how to properly handle them and she has taken the manual seriously and has read it cover to cover.  She’s learned the ins and outs of scooter safety, repair and maintenance for each model that she sells to the public and she is now bringing her knowledge to her customers.  Along with complete understanding of the models she sells, Phil fully intends to earn her motorcycle license and enroll in classes at Penco Tech to learn to service the models she has for sale.  Her goal is to be able to sell, transport, service, and maintain the scooters.  She rents space from Harry’s Transmissions to showcase her scooters and stores them in his garage.  Harry’s has been a landmark in Fishtown since 1962.

While I was interviewing Phil, Marquita Fuqua, 37, arrived to the shop.  Marquita purchased her scooter on the 24th of June from Phil.  Marquita explained to me that, “it was the best move I ever made.”  Expressed that not only was she getting from Point A to Point B more quickly, but that she was having fun doing it.  She was ecstatic to trade in her eighty dollar a month Septa Transpass for a mere three dollar tank of gas that lasts an entire month.  Scooters apparently provide about eighty-five miles to the gallon which is twice as much as some of the most economical smart-cars on the road.  Not to mention that if you have insurance on your car or truck and you then insure your scooter, the annual cost ranges from fifty dollars a year to one hundred dollars a year depending on each individual insurance company.  For Marquita, insurance for the year is less than what she was paying to Septa for a month.  Between gas and insurance the scooter owner is looking at some serious bang for their buck.

Phil purchases the scooters for her shop but sells them to the public only after they pass her rigorous safety and maintenance tests.  Her top priority is safety.  The State of Pennsylvania enforces a helmet law for bicyclists, however, there is no law mandating a helmet for motorcycle or scooter drivers and the State allows the purchase of scooters without a license.  However, that does not deter Phil from emphasizing to her potential buyers the importance of safety and she does require that all of her customers have a valid Pennsylvania license.  Phil recommends following the manufacturer’s safety advice of wearing a helmet, pants, boots (or sturdy shoes) in case of an accident but as with most accidents involving motorcycles, most scooter accidents occur when the car driver does not share the road properly.  Phil believes it is all about safety and awareness.  The car driver is not looking for the scooter and bike riders, so you need to be sure you can handle your vehicle properly.

Most potential customers seem to be local to the area although Phil has had a buyer from Delaware and a customer in Wildwood, New Jersey.  Phil seems to be approached by an equal amount of women and men drivers, although she notes that women ask far more questions and seem to come back a few more times before finally purchasing a scooter than her seemingly more impulsive male customers.  She explained that many residents work in town and a scooter is an inexpensive alternative to Septa or paying for parking in Center City district.  Recently there has been in increase in areas designated for parking of bicycles and scooters with buildings in town, and with a low negative impact on the environment, a scooter driver is able to keep their carbon footprint to a minimum.

Phil is a lucky woman.  She has found a hobby that piqued her interest and she has been able to share her excitement with others, and earn a living all at the same time.  So, stop on over, talk to Phil at the Scooter Shop.  She will be more than happy to tell you all about the models she has in stock, the Malibu, Bel-Air, Daytone and the Del-Ray.  Take one for a spin…enjoy the neighborhood from a different vantage point.  Phil loves the way the city looks from her scooter, maybe you will too?

Phil’s Scooter Shop

(adjacent to Harry’s Automotive)

Corner of Girard and Columbia

Pbroomall123@yahoo.com | E-Mail