Wally Kennedy: Ex-menswear store new home of House of Speed

Jul. 7—When the Hemmings Motor News Great Race rolled into downtown Joplin last week, it was hot. The heat of so many engines, lots of people standing shoulder to shoulder, the pavement and the brick buildings made it feel like a blast furnace at times. When the Wandering Troubadours of Finland arrived with their contingent of flag bearers, the exhaust from their 1918 American LaFrance Speedster was so intense it would make you feel woozy.

City Hall was opened as a cooling shelter, but apparently it wasn't all that cool. For a lucky few, relief from the heat was found one door south in a storefront at 610 S. Main St.

Frank Naaykens, who owns the storefront with his wife, Halie, cranked up the air and put a big fan near the front door, which he opened to all. As people walked by the open door, they could feel that cool air was coming from somewhere and were intent on finding it. At the door, Naaykens greeted them and invited them inside to cool down.

The people who went inside got a firsthand look at an important historic preservation project that's in its infancy. Naaykens is transforming the former Coulter-McGuire Men's Wear store into a motorcycle shop that specializes in custom parts and the display of vintage motorcycles. He hopes to have the shop, which he has named The House of Speed, open by Thanksgiving.

The shop will be an extension of his company Speed Dealer Performance, which produces over 600 parts for the leading motorcycle brands, including Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Big Dog and Yamaha. With 30 years of machine shop experience, Naaykens manufactures the parts through his company, C&C Machine Shop. He has been working almost exclusively with motorcycles since 2005.

The storefront had been empty for 15 years when he purchased it. He has since put a new roof on the building and hauled away an ugly metal gate that had secured the Main Street entrance.

"It was like a place that had been lost in time," he said. "This is an historic building, and I want to preserve as much of the original work as I can. We will use period lighting and fans. I know I am boring people to death with this, but I can't wait to see this place when we are finished."

What he has found in the store are pieces of history associated with the menswear store. Coulter-McGuire was founded in 1910 at Pittsburg, Kansas, as a place that provided "Clothes for College Men." The business would later expand to Joplin. You could get Arrow shirts, Botany suits, Pendleton Sportswear and Bostonian shoes there.

When I walked into the shop, I immediately recognized it as a place I had been before. My mother took me there to buy me my first sports coat when I was in high school.

Many of the older people who sought shelter in the store remembered when Coulter-McGuire was "the place" to buy menswear in Joplin.

Naaykens has found some panels of prism glass in the store that are 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall.

"They date back to the 1910s. We are going to restore them and put them back the way they were," he said. "We want to put a sign out front that emphasizes our connection to Route 66."

Naaykens said most people are unaware of how much Joplin benefits from "a thriving industry associated with Route 66. This will be a museum on the route. Joplin has to play that card with the 100-year anniversary coming up in 2026."

The display windows that face Main Street will be used to showcase all kinds of motorcycles on a rotating basis. The vintage motorcycles are part of a private collection that numbers more than 200.

Naaykens, who hails from the Netherlands, attributes his success to the support of his wife and his son, Levi.

"I am living the American dream."

Contact Wally Kennedy at wkennedy@joplinglobe.com.