Andrew A.
Pacer
What is the LRS scene where you live? Are there strong, welcoming retail centers with strong customer service that support the local running community, including race organization or sponsorship? Is it a barren wasteland? Somewhere in between?
In Boulder, we have a wealth of choices ranging from the granddaddy (now corporate chain owned) Boulder Running Co. to in-state chain Runners Roost to start-ups Go Far and In Motion. Just up the road, in Longmont, we also have the intriguing model of Shoes & Brews. I have shopped them all through the years, with varying experiences. Rent in Boulder is at ridiculous levels, though not quite up with San Francisco or Manhattan just yet. It seems fascinating to me that (so far) the local population manages to support four distinct retail entities aimed at the running shoe buying public. The big box sporting goods stores have all been run out of town, so really they are competing with each other, Amazon, Holabird and RW at this point. Given the COVID impacts on top of rising rent and an increasing shift to online retail, I am uncertain all of them will survive the coming 18 months. None of them sponsored local races this summer, that I'm aware of, so that is likely not a good sign.
In Boulder, we have a wealth of choices ranging from the granddaddy (now corporate chain owned) Boulder Running Co. to in-state chain Runners Roost to start-ups Go Far and In Motion. Just up the road, in Longmont, we also have the intriguing model of Shoes & Brews. I have shopped them all through the years, with varying experiences. Rent in Boulder is at ridiculous levels, though not quite up with San Francisco or Manhattan just yet. It seems fascinating to me that (so far) the local population manages to support four distinct retail entities aimed at the running shoe buying public. The big box sporting goods stores have all been run out of town, so really they are competing with each other, Amazon, Holabird and RW at this point. Given the COVID impacts on top of rising rent and an increasing shift to online retail, I am uncertain all of them will survive the coming 18 months. None of them sponsored local races this summer, that I'm aware of, so that is likely not a good sign.