Tayte Pollmann’s articles are supported by American Trail Running Association corporate member Nike Trail Running. You can follow Tayte’s adventures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you liked this article, read even more of Tayte’s articles on our website.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for all of us in the running community, including running specialty store owners. According to a recent survey by the Running Industry Association (RIA) published on March 27, nearly 70% of running specialty stores in the United States have closed their doors and projected April 2020 sales are significantly down from April 2019, with nearly 25% of survey respondents expecting sales to be down 61-80%. Many shops face permanent financial damage or closure.
Running specialty stores are an essential part of our local running communities and as trail runners we should do our part to make sure their doors remain open. In this article, I interview four running specialty shop owners about how their business has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and what we as trail runners can do to support them.
To see full results of the Running Industry Association’s COVID-19 retail survey, click here [PDF].
Below I interview several running store owners to see how the pandemic is affecting their stores and communities.
Scott Gall from The Runner’s Flat in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
[Tayte] How has your business been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak?
[Scott] The first week was the biggest change. We saw people not only stay away from in-house service, but also local e-commerce. In the weeks that followed we’ve seen a rebound in sales with business simply looking different.
[Tayte] What have you done to keep your business going during the pandemic? Is there something you’d suggest to other running specialty stores who are currently struggling?
[Scott] We have email groups for run clubs and community organizations that we continue to use to encourage and support the community. Two local businesses organized a virtual race event where the $50 entry was split into $25 credit to our shop and $25 to the local coffee shop down the street from us. Therefore, 100% went directly to local businesses. We also included race add-ons such as hats, race number, etc. I made the courses and downloaded maps on Garmin and Strava. We’ve encouraged social responsibility, but still continue group runs split into eight hours instead of one. Runners meet a fellow run partner, do the workout and get a beer on the step post-run. We’ve also re-invented some of our business operations to include more call-in orders, curbside pick up, free shipping, and free local delivery. All this to say that just like our local running community, we’re not afraid to hustle and they’ve supported us incredibly well.
[Tayte] How can the trail running community help? What advice would you give to trail runners looking to support their local running specialty stores?
[Scott] Call the store, whether open or not, and simply make purchases that you’ve planned or need to make. I don’t know that buying gift cards or shoes you don’t need is a sustainable option if this would continue to last longer than expected. I do believe that supporting your local shop by making any purchases you can from them when it comes to shoes and gear makes sense just like it always should. If people do that, those shops will come through this as strong as the runners who support them.
Aaron Saft from Foot Rx Running in Asheville, North Carolina.
[Tayte] How has your business been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak?
[Aaron] We were down 75% prior to closing our doors (unfortunately for good).
[Tayte]What did you try to keep your business going during the pandemic? Is there something you’d suggest to other running specialty stores who are currently struggling?
[Aaron] We tried curbside pickup and free shipping. We closed the shop to keep our staff safe and to discourage people from going out. We turned to phone messages and emails to fulfill orders. We’re not allowed to travel now, so we can’t even fulfill orders.
[Tayte]How can the trail running community help? What advice would you give to trail runners looking to support their local running specialty stores?
[Aaron] Do whatever you can to shop local. It’s easy to go to the shoe company’s website and order your shoes. Take the extra steps and reach out to your local run shop to order what you want.
Guy Perry from Salt Lake Running Company in Salt Lake City, Utah.
[Tayte] How has your business been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak?
[Guy] To be clear, the run speciality industry has been directly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, especially in large metro markets.Without customer support, many stores will be unable to survive the short term effects of temporary closure or significant business reduction.
[Tayte] What have you done to keep your business going during the pandemic? Is there something you’d suggest to other running specialty stores who are currently struggling?
[Guy] Our position is that exercise is vital to the mental and physical health of our customers, especially during stressful situations. As such, we applied last week to be deemed as an essential business in our state.
[Tayte] How can the trail running community help? What advice would you give to trail runners looking to support their local running specialty stores?
[Guy] Runners who have a favorite run store, now more than ever, have a choice to make where they shop when they need new equipment.
Leone Rusher from Shu’s Idaho Running Company in featured Trail Town Boise, Idaho.
[Tayte] How has your business been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak?
[Leone] Our business, like everyones, has slowed significantly. We’ve reduced our hours, staffing and how we get items to the customers.
[Tayte] What have you done to keep your business going during the pandemic? Is there something you’d suggest to other running specialty stores who are currently struggling?
[Leone] We have been taking orders over the phone, social media messaging, email and texting. We offer pay-by-phone, then curbside pickup (which most customers are more than happy to do as it gets them out of the house). We’ve also been able to deliver to those who don’t want to leave their homes. We’ve been setting up appointments for people to come in for shoe fitting. For the appointments, we limit how many are in the store at one time to keep the social distancing doable. I think taking phone orders for products and offering curbside pickup has been huge for us.
[Tayte] How can the trail running community help? What advice would you give to trail runners looking to support their local running specialty stores?
[Leone] The running community can support their locally owned specialty retailers by purchasing a gift card for later use. You can try a different pair of shoes (you can always go back to your favorites) or purchase anything from socks and nutrition items. Everything helps, not just shoes.
Are you a running specialty store owner? Check out the Running Industry Associations (RIA) Resource Guide [PDF] for strategies on how to keep your business going during the coronavirus pandemic. Additional information and updates to the Resource Guide can be found on the Running Industry Association’s website.
Editor’s Note: Be safe as we continue to navigate the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic. Please continue to follow the recommendations and updates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including proper hygiene practices. Also consider reading iRunFar’s COVID-19: A Trail Running and Ultrarunning Community Guide.
