Strokers Dallas

   

Strokers Dallas, Strokers Ice House Bar & Grill, Strokers Ink Tattoo & Piercing Parlor and RF Custom Parts are all owned and operated by Rick Fairless. His 5 children, Steve, Louis, Chelsey, Lena and Liz are involved in the company operations as are his wife Susan (runs the office), his mom Sharon (everybody just calls her Ma), his dad Ocie, his brother Randy (big shot lawyer), sister Denise (bar manager) & brother-in-law Steve Bessler. 

Strokers Dallas opened in 1996, Strokers Ice House opened in 1998, Strokers Ink opened in 2007 and RF Custom Partsopened in 2012. Little did Rick know that his Strokers “Empire” would soon become a World Famous motorcycle destination. 

Rick built his “Empire” with the belief that if you “Get up early, work hard all day, good things will happen.” Rick works 15 hours a day, 8 days a week and doesn’t take days off. Strokers is closed 2 days a year – Thanksgiving & Christmas Day and Rick still works both of these days. Figuring those hours, he makes minimum wage. Oh well, he’s happy & living his dream.

Rick & Susan were both born in Dallas and raised in Irving, Texas and graduated from Mac Arthur high school. In 1976 Rick went to work for Roach Paint Company that later became Glidden Paint Company. By 1987 he was the #1 paint salesman in the country for Glidden. Rick raised his kids around motorcycles and has been riding motorcycles since he was nine years old. He always dreamed of owning a motorcycle shop.  He had three acres in Irving and lots of room for the kids to learn to ride. Rick bought his son Steve his first bike on his 2nd birthday.

In 1996, Rick had his 20th anniversary with Glidden coming up and was growing restless working for somebody else. Rick spent many hours cussing and discussing his future. He was thinking of opening a paint store of his own, after all, he made a good living in the paint business for 20 years. But he was tired of the paint business and decided that he did not want to be in it any more. If Rick was going to roll the dice, he wanted to own a motorcycle shop & beer joint business.

After a lot of hard work, he went out on his own and opened Strokers Dallas. People continuously told Rick he was crazy to leave a career that was paying him so much money, and not to take a gamble on a new motorcycle shop. Thank God he did not listen to those people! As soon as he opened his store, he started the process to open a bar and grill next door. What better than a place to drink beer, look at cool custom bikes, get your bike serviced and buy parts, all at the same time? It took 2 years of red tape before he finally got Strokers Ice House open. 

Rick had a hard time with a name for the bar. Rick had been to visit his big shot lawyer brother Randy in Houston who took him to some places called ice houses. They were pretty much metal buildings that served beer. Nothing fancy, just a cool place to drink beer. These places got their name from the old, true ice houses from the early 1900’s. When men got off work they stopped off at an ice house to get ice for their ice box at home. The ice houses became a place where men would hang out, drink beer, chew tobacco, play cards and generally just hangout & have a good time before they went home to mama. Rick liked the idea of calling the place an ice house and he was the first and only ice house in Dallas. 

The Strokers part of the name came from brainstorming with his pals. One of Rick’s buddies, Glenn, was always called Stroker because he liked Stroker motors. Rick’s best friend, Joe T. suggested calling the place Strokers. Of course Glenn liked the idea and Rick did too. And so, Strokers Ice House was born.
  

Rick wanted a place that would be real laid back and welcomes everybody that wants to have a good time in a friendly atmosphere. Well, Rick got what he worked so hard for! All kinds of people from all over the world come to visit Strokers every day. On a nice Sunday we get 1000-2000 bikes that come out to enjoy themselves, listen to live music and just hang out. 

We have been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers and television shows: You might have seen us on our own TV shows – Texas Hardtails on the SPEED network and Ma’s Roadhouse on the TruTV network, or the Biker Build Off on the Discovery channel or heard Rick and Joe T. on their weekly radio show – The Dumb-Ass Club or maybe you have seen us in one of the gazillion motorcycle magazines that Rick & Strokers has been featured in. Strokers Dallas, Strokers Ice House, Strokers Ink, and now RF Custom Parts have become a motorcycle tradition in Dallas, Texas. 

Rick & Susan still live in Irving about 1 mile from where they were born & raised. Rick and his family ask you to enjoy yourself in their house and let them know if you have any ideas or suggestions that can make the place better for you. Rick says that while at Strokers it doesn’t matter if you ride a Harley, Victory, Honda or a freakin’ Ford Pinto – Everyone is welcome. It also doesn’t matter if you are an unemployed ditch digger or a bank president – Everybody is equal & treated the same at Rick Fairless’ Strokers Empire.

Thank you very much for visiting Strokers Dallas, Strokers Ice House, Strokers Ink and RF Custom Parts. As Rick always likes to say “I’m the owner, but you’re the boss!”

Rick Fairless - Owner:
Strokers Dallas
Strokers Ice House
Strokers Ink
RF Custom Parts
rick@strokersdallas.com
(214) 357-0707