Gatto Harley-Davidson moving from Tarentum; watersports, bike sales will remain

A cycle shop that has grown to become a Tarentum institution since opening in 1964 will move part of its operations from the borough.

Gatto Cycle Shop announced it will close its Harley-Davidson dealership along East Sixth Avenue. It will merge it with a shop along Glenn Avenue in Shaler, which the family has owned since 2007.

The mega-store, Three Rivers Harley-Davidson, will be the only Harley dealer in Allegheny County.

“This was a huge decision for us, but you can’t have success with a small-volume store,” said company President George Gatto, 60.

“It was emotionally tough. I grew up in that building in Tarentum.

“We lived in New Ken, and I’d ride my bike across the Tarentum Bridge, skate at the Tarena (roller rink) and nap on a chaise lounge in my mom’s office. It was my whole childhood.”

The store will remain open through mid-September when inventory moves to the 40,000-square-foot Shaler facility.

Nearly double the size of the Tarentum dealership, the space is set up for weekend events that have bands and food trucks, and is easily accessible from Route 28 and Route 19, Gatto said.

“The biggest negative of the move is Route 28,” he said. “What’s fun about riding are the back roads. So, luckily, you can take Saxonburg Boulevard to get there.”

The dozen or so Harley employees in Tarentum were offered jobs at the new store.

Sam Atkinson, an employee for 40 years, is making the change.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Atkinson, 59, who grew up in Tarentum and started with Gatto’s fresh out of high school.

He left an after-school job peeling potatoes at nearby Massart’s Restaurant and started cleaning oil stains at Gatto’s garage a few streets away.

Now a master level Harley-Davidson technician, he considers the closure in Tarentum to be an adventure.

“You have to look to the future,” Atkinson said.

Gatto’s company headquarters, in the massive former YMCA building, still will greet people at the entrance to town.

That site along East Seventh Avenue is home to sales of power sports, pontoons, bikes, parts and accessories.

The family also owns several other properties in town, many of which will be used to house stock. Others will be sold, Gatto said.

“We started with one building, and we ran out of space and ended up with buildings all over Tarentum,” he said. “You could never buy the one next to you. Our service center is three blocks from the dealership, and it’s just logistically difficult to manage.”

The future of the popular Cycle Diner, a 1949 eatery attached to the Harley showroom, remains a mystery. It was denied a permit by the Allegheny County Health Department to reopen after a covid shutdown because of the dining area’s configuration.

While some have lamented Gatto’s announcement, Tarentum Council President Scott Dadowski said the move allows room for future growth of the shop’s other specialties.

“When I think Harley Davidson, my first thought is Gatto,” Dadowski said, “so it’s great to see them taking their business even further.

“Being that Tarentum borders the Allegheny River, though, I’m excited to hear that they will increase their attention to water sports and boating here. Our riverfront is some of the most beautiful section on the Allegheny, and I hope with their increased attention to water activities, the shop will become a destination for not only residents but for water sport enthusiasts from across the region.”

Gatto said the demand for watersports helped with his decision. Sales have grown exponentially, and the store needed more space to thrive, he said.

The 2021 acquisition of a Harley dealership in West Mifflin also pushed Gatto toward the Shaler move.

Gatto and two other dealers bought out Hot Metal Harley in December, with Gatto getting 55% of the market territory.

“Since the last recession, seven dealerships have gone away,” he said.

“It’s a lot of work to absorb the extra business, and it’s all on my back, but we have the chance to be the only dealer in the county. It’s a huge opportunity for us.”

The Shaler consolidation allows Gatto to tap into markets in Pittsburgh, North Hills and beyond to attract new customers.

He said the move is necessary to replace the baby boomers who for a long time did the most buying but are aging and not riding with the same intensity.

“Riders used to look like Santa with leather on,” Gatto said. “It’s not like that anymore. We need to find enough young people to make up for that big bubble that we’re losing.”