Wisconsin Harley store celebrates 50 years by moving to bigger facility
In Harley-Davidson’s Q4 and end-of-year financial report, the company said it was positioning 2026 as a transition year as it works to stabilize operations following a challenging 2025. Appleton Harley-Davidson in Wisconsin is also using 2026 as a transition year, and is celebrating 50 years in business with the opening of a new, larger dealership.
“We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary this year,” general manager Joshua Doughty told Milwaukee-area news outlet Spectrum News 1 in an interview. “This gives us a nice stepping stone to get to the next 50 years of Appleton Harley-Davidson’s history and legacy.”
Doughty’s father first opened Appleton H-D in 1976, and the dealership has been owned by the same family ever since. Joshua took over ownership in 2017.
The new building is the next chapter in the dealership’s 50-year history, but also a response to the store’s recent revenue increases. Doughty says new leadership at Harley-Davidson certainly hasn’t hurt the business, and he has been impressed so far with the direction CEO Artie Starrs is taking The Motor Company, saying he is putting more energy behind the brand and across its dealer network.
Doughty also mentioned he’s excited about Harley’s new entry-level model, the Sprint, which he believes can introduce Harley-Davidson to a new generation of riders.
“If someone searches the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. website right now, they don’t see anything in that entry-level area,” he told Spectrum News 1. “That’s where the Sprint should be filling in that void to get new people into and on a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.”
