Rollin’ in the River Market with the Lewno Family
“We’re very much a ‘go with the flow’ style of family,” says Jeremy Lewno, owner of Bobby’s Bike Hike in Little Rock’s River Market and downtown Chicago. He and his wife, Hadley are busy business owners raising their 2-year-old son, Leaf and gearing up for their baby girl who’s due in May. Being part of a fast-paced industry and chasing two little ones around require almost gravity-defying energy and endurance. Here, the Lewnos share what keeps them grounded and focused on what matters most in their lives while always moving forward.
Little Rock Family: How did you and your wife meet and how long have you been married?
Jeremy: We met in Chicago back in the summer of 2007, where we were both living in downtown Chicago and in the tourism industry. I owned a bike tour & rental company, which was on the floor level of the building Hadley worked in. I would see her walk by my shop quite a bit and I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to chat her up. It didn’t go very far UNTIL one day I was riding to work on what I refer to as my “Pee Wee Herman-style bike,” a big, bright blue Schwinn Cruiser, and I saw her at a traffic light. She said “nice bike.” I asked her out to lunch and she accepted. We took a tandem to lunch. It was perfect! We married in 2012 on a family farm.
What was your childhood like?
Jeremy: I was born in Minneapolis but my family moved to Little Rock when I was quite young. My dad, Bob, after whom I named my business, started a motor coach tour company here in Arkansas. My sister and I spent many of our summers traveling all over North America by bus, with about 40 senior citizens. It was great fun and quite a learning experience. And it really instilled my passion for traveling and tourism. In college (at UCA), I would renew that interest in traveling when I did a study abroad program. To this day, my wife and I will travel and take extended vacations to remote places around the world.
Hadley: I grew up in the quaint town of Tallmadge, Ohio, and graduated from Miami University of Ohio in 2005, where I studied Geography and Environmental Science. During college, I spent 6 months abroad in New Zealand and also a summer working in Glacier National Park. Both of these experiences really instilled my love of travel.
How did Bobby’s Bike Hike get started?
Jeremy: I started Bobby’s Bike Hike – Tours & Rentals in Chicago in 2002 with 25 bikes operating out of a parking garage. I’m very excited by the growth we’ve had up there, now with over 300 bikes and roughly 12-15 tours per day. We decided to move back to my hometown of Little Rock in 2012 to start our family, and that is when we opened up our bike tour/rental business in the River Market. We offer bike tours on Saturdays and private tours as well. And, of course, we offer bike rentals so people can get out and explore the Arkansas River Trail by bicycle. We have such a wide variety of bicycles and child equipment. Sundays are called Sunday Family Funday. We offer discounts for families all day long. We want to encourage families to get out, get active, and have some fun. We’re blessed with such an amazing trail system right outside of our shop, connecting the downtown Clinton Presidential Park Bridge to the Big Dam Bridge and more.
What are your favorite aspects of living and raising kiddos in downtown Little Rock?
Hadley: It’s the best! We are really grateful to live in a community with so many family-oriented activities within walking distance. Leaf and I walk to story time at the Main Library every week, fully utilize our pass to the Museum of Discovery, grab a quick bite to eat at the River Market, and love meeting up with other downtown families to play in Riverfront Park. When the kids are old enough, we look forward to walking them to school at Urban Garden Montessori, just a couple blocks away. It’s an amazing gem of a school and I’m also on their board. As the kids grow we also look forward to enjoying movies together at Ron Robinson Theater, the newest exhibits at the Clinton Library, and obviously the plethora of great restaurants, all within walking distance. It’s such a vibrant, growing neighborhood, with so many family resources within just a few blocks. We asked Leaf this question, and he said “TWOLLEY!” Translation: the trolley.
Jeremy: We really do love it. On weekends, we also love to stroll through the festivals at the River Market and Clinton Library grounds, and go for family bike rides along the riverfront. It has been wonderful to see more families actually living downtown. It’s definitely a growing community. We share a car, but with everything so accessible by walking, we hardly ever use it. I would have never guessed that 16 years after moving to Chicago right out of college, I’d be back in Little Rock, living downtown. The downtown development has been so wonderful and we really wanted to be a part of that growth.
What were you like as first time parents?
Jeremy: This is a work in progress. We are a pretty tight family because Hadley is a stay-at-home mom right now and I work from home. So we are both so thankful to get a lot of interaction with our son. Plus, we love living in Little Rock so close to my family. Thanks to my sister Christy’s family, Leaf is blessed with such a large group of cousins to play with. Regular visits to Memaw’s house help make life easier for us. Hadley’s mom lives out of state, but fortunately she is still able to visit quite often.
Hadley: We were both so excited to start having kids, and before Leaf was born, we felt totally ready for it all. But with the shock of sleepless nights, a few colicky months, and loving this new little human so intensely, there was definitely an adjustment period for us. We have learned so much more patience these past two years, and to really appreciate each stage of the journey.
How has life changed as Leaf has grown and you prepare for a new baby?
Hadley: We have learned a lot more patience with Leaf. For example, when he was first born, Jeremy and I would get really stressed every time he cried. But now we’ve learned that babies (and toddlers!) cry. If we stay calm, it helps calm him down much faster. I’m so thankful to have this knowledge before we welcome our little girl into the family in May!
What does Leaf think about having a baby sister?
Hadley: Leaf has been really cute about becoming a big brother. He loves to kiss my belly when we’re talking about the baby, and he brings us his big brother book to read almost daily. But he is also used to having all our attention, so we are prepared for an adjustment period when his baby sister is born.
What are some traditions you wish to pass down to your children?
Jeremy: We want to travel with our kids; take them all over the world. We enjoy road trips because it’s important for us to teach our kids that life is about the journey and not just the destination. God has blessed us with a beautiful planet filled with amazing people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. We’re excited for our kids to experience that.
Hadley: We took Leaf to Vietnam last winter, and he did great (that is, once we got through the jet lag!). Traveling with a blue-eyed baby got us a lot of attention from the locals, and Leaf loved it all, giving out giggles and coo’s left and right. It also opened our eyes to what it’s like to travel with a child. There were definitely challenges, but we learned to adjust and be flexible. And it was all worth it.
How do you stay connected as a family?
Hadley: There are lots of little moments throughout the day to connect. Sometimes Jeremy will take a break from work and we’ll all snuggle on the couch to read Leaf a story before his naptime. Or, we’ll all play with his toy trucks for a few minutes. Leaf likes music, so we enjoy a lot of impromptu dancing when a favorite song comes on. And since I love cooking and the Lewno boys love eating, dinners together around the table are the norm. It may sound corny, but I take such pride in finding healthy recipes that both my husband and our toddler like. I go to bed happy knowing our family is well nourished and we’ve spent that time together around the dinner table.
What is the best parenting advice you’ve ever received?
Jeremy: The best parenting advice I’ve received is that the days are long but the years are short. That has helped me keep everything in perspective.
Hadley: That nothing is permanent! Sleepless nights with a newborn won’t last forever, but neither will Leaf’s sweet little toddler voice. Remembering that children grow and change so quickly has helped me to savor the beauty of each little stage.
What are your hopes and dreams for your children?
Hadley: I hope to teach our children that everything they do has an impact on the world. We may never know the ripple effect of our actions, so it’s important to always act with kindness and compassion.
Jeremy: I hope to leave my kids a legacy of hard work, healthy living, an appreciation for our planet, and the importance of caring for others. I hope whatever success we have, that my kids will always stay grounded and realize life is about the journey.
