People of Pepper Place
Each month we will be featuring one to two Pepper Place tenants! We will be sharing their stories to give you a look behind the curtain at their businesses, their upcoming projects, their goals, and more! For this month we interviewed Tiffany Martin, founder of Ignite Cycle. Check out our interview below:
Pepper Place: How did Ignite Cycle get started? How did you choose Pepper Place to be the location for your first studio?
Tiffany: In 2017, I was living in Boston with my husband and 2 kids, when he decided to start a non-profit in Birmingham. At the time, I was a stay at home mom and instructing group fitness – my favorite of which was boutique cycling. I looked for a place to instruct, and when I found there wasn’t one, I googled “how to write a business plan,” and got to planning!
When we moved a few months later, I started looking for a space – space for showers and ample parking were non-negotiables. After a few months of searching, I visited that special little corner of 29th Street South and 3rd Avenue South, and knew it was where we needed to be. While the studio was under construction, our lovely landlords made a pop up space available (where Hot and Hot is now), and we were able to introduce Ignite to BHM.
In March of 2019, we opened the doors at 224 29th Street South, and it was – and continues to be – everything I could have dreamed of.
Pepper Place: What is your favorite thing about owning Ignite Cycle?
Tiffany: Easy: the people. From Day One, we’ve been lucky to have the world’s best team (many of our Day Ones are still part of the team). The top vibes from our team trickle down to our Riders – our community of Riders is made up of some really wonderful people. People who are willing to show up and put in the work of finding a little more love for themselves.
What we do is about so much more than riding bikes in a dark room to loud music – any one of our Riders can tell you their personal experience and how their perspective on themselves has changed for the better…and more than just physically. We aim to help our Riders live better and more authentic lives. There’s nothing better than hearing the stories of how our Riders’ lives have improved since they started riding. We’ve had stories of people leaving jobs because they learned their worth in The Bike Room, Riders understanding they don’t have to be perfect and can live more abundantly when they seek progress over perfection, people express learning that sometimes getting through the challenging moments is just about putting one foot in front of the other until they’re over.
We are truly honored that our Riders allow us to be part of their lives.
Pepper Place: What do you hope to see happen in the future Ignite Cycle?
Tiffany: This little business has been through a lot in its 4 1/2 years. After just a year in operation, we hosted virtual dance parties in March of 2020; in July, we rode bikes together at home; and in February, we sweat it out in 20 degree weather in our open air studio; and in May of 2022, we opened our second location. Watching our community grow and adapt throughout its many changes gives me faith that, through the ups and downs, we become stronger. With that said, I recently announced I intend to sell Ignite. My hope is that the new owner(s) continue to pursue Ignite’s mission and vision, that the community would become larger, and its impact on the broader area would continue to help make it better. I believe so deeply in this brand and its potential for impact – I can’t wait to see where it goes!
