It’s not really a party until the mechanical bull shows up.
At least that is what Jeff Louchheim of Sagaponack is betting on with his new party rental business.
“Everybody’s telling me it’s a great idea,” Louchheim said last week of the response his new venture, Hamptons Bull, is getting. “It’s been overwhelmingly positive.”
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His bull is available for private parties, fundraising events and corporate team building and outings.
In his day job, Louchheim runs a private investigation firm. He is also a member of the and an elected Bridgehampton fire commissioner. He said Hamptons Bull seemed like it would be a fun side business.
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“It was developed through necessity,” he said. “I only hope there is a demand for it.”
When he turned 40 years old, his wife wanted to rent a mechanical bull for his birthday party and had no luck finding someone who would come to the East End, he said. When his friend turned 40 the following year, Louchheim had the same issue. He got to thinking that he should take up the job himself.
“We just got it over Memorial Day weekend,” he said. “So now we’re really going out there and trying to get the word out.”
The biggest obstacle Louchheim had was getting the business insured.
“It’s very safe, but talking with the insurance companies, New York State is one of the worst states with lawsuits, especially Suffolk,” he said. “It’s a mechanical bull, so you are going to fall off the bull. That’s what it’s designed to do.”
The price of insurance precluded him from offering the service to restaurants, bars and nightclubs, he said. “It was just cost prohibitive to even get involved in that.”
Insurance companies were also very specific on the type of bull he could use, Louchheim said. The one he ended up with is surrounded by a 16-by-16-foot inflatable corral and has preset speeds. The difficulty levels range from “greenhorn” to “professional cowboy.” “If you have somebody who is really proficient at it, there is also a manual mode,” he said.
He debuted the bull at in Wainscott on Saturday during a family fun day and said it will be a year-round business.
For more information, visit hamptonsbull.com.
