While serving in the armed forces at Ft. Bragg, NC in 1961, Jim Godwin met up with Dave Warren at the local Harley Shop. Dave approached Jim about becoming a Harley-Davidson dealer. Jim asked what was required and found out that $50 (at that time) would be enough to file the application. So, on the trunk of a parked car in Winston-Salem, NC, the papers were signed. Six months later, Jim went to Milwaukee to meet with the owners of Harley-Davidson. They asked Jim what he had to invest in the business. Jim told them a "...1959 FLH and $1,500 borrowed..." H-D told Jim that would be enough to start. Jim received a line of credit of $5,000 in parts and $25,000 in motorcycles. The parts payment was to be paid back at 10% over cost of ordered parts.

Jim's Harley-Davidson started out in a 1-1/2 car garage in Mendon, Ohio in 1961, and moved to a 30 X 70 building in 1964. A move to the present 70 X 100 ft. location came about in 1974. In 1990, Jim's remodeled to comply with the Harley Designer Store look. Then in 1998, Jim's expanded to the present size which features a new store space of 70 X 125 ft.