Eric Bowman

I’m the 4th generation of my family to own and operate the Owenhouse Hardware Company (including Owenhouse Cycling), going back to my Great-Grandfather Whitfield Spain. Some of my earliest memories are of my brother and me exploring the hardware store basement or hanging out watching the many TVs we stocked in that era. I took my first job at the store when I was 14. I would show up after school to haul the garbage and cardboard from the dumpsters, assemble a few odd things, and then head home with my father for dinner. I worked at the store until the end of high school when I decided I needed a break and took some different jobs while I worked my way through the Engineering program at MSU. At the end of my college career, I made the decision to work my way into ownership of the business and came to work full-time in the summer of 2001. It was an incredible privilege to be able to work alongside my father for 15 years until his retirement in 2016. It’s now my responsibility, as the current caretaker of Owenhouse, to guide the business through the challenges that are ahead and leave it in a place that sets up the next generation for success.

I spend most of my free time enjoying all the outdoor adventures that Bozeman has to offer with my wife, Molly, and two children, Rylie and Ross. We’re passionate about riding bikes and trying to open up cycling opportunities to others. We’ve helped to found the Bozeman Youth Cycling program and volunteer time and resources to the Bozeman Pedal Project, Team Rockford/Owenhouse Cycling, the Moser Shake ‘N Bake MTB Race, and the local fall cyclocross race series with the hopes of building a sustainable bike culture in Bozeman.