Why Shopping at a Running Store is Still Important
The past 22 years of my life has been spent working in the specialty run business. Every day I interact with many faces - from all walks of life. Even as a passionate ambassador of all things retail, I’m consistently impressed by the digital landscape. It’s made our lives easier in many ways. I’ve greatly benefitted from the assortment of apps, tools and platforms.
And yet, there’s still nothing like the experience of stepping into a specialty shop.
Throughout my years of marathon, trail and road running I’ve come to appreciate human experience. I can describe to you the feeling of crossing the finish line at Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. But being there with your friends and family is a uniquely visceral experience. It’s about connection. And the running store is all about experience and connection. Whether you’re getting fit for the perfect shoe or getting advice and tips from our staff, our goal at TC Running Company is about fostering connection and trust with runners.
That connection transforms into Community. If you’ve been around runners for any length of time, you know we’re great at creating community. Races and events give us experiences to bond over. We see the dynamic play out every day at TCRC; Customers interacting with each other and the staff about upcoming events, training schedules, gear they prefer, etc. Running creates a local bond between people and those in-person experiences can’t be duplicated. We could charge much more for the Endless Summer Trail Series with Rocksteady Running. But we don’t overcharge, because we intensely value people coming together and build something bigger locally.
Let’s not kid ourselves; A big component of a running shop is the footwear and gear. And it’s clear to see why so many people have chosen to shop online. Selection, price and convenience. That’s the exact reason we’ve built a completely different philosophy around product at TCRC. We believe in unmatched choice and price. We’re offering you any shoe in every color at a price that can’t be matched online. Period. As I type, there’s 56 shoes displayed in our TRAIL section alone. Within each one of those shoe selections, we carry multiple colors in our backroom that aren’t displayed on the wall. Runners try on as many as they like, to find that perfect shoe in their favorite colors. And we’re lowest on price. Period. Taking this approach has cemented our commitment to runners: We’re all about connection, community and providing a superior experience for runners.
We’re looking forward to another great running season and can’t wait to be a part of your running community. Make sure to stop in and say ‘hi’ soon.
Kurt