The Top 50 Running Stores
 Who are the 50 best running stores in America? The answer to that question has been the subject of great debate. For the second consecutive year, The Running Network, LLC and Footwear Intelligence collaborated on recognizing the best running specialty stores in the country.
The top stores were honored at an awards dinner on Tuesday night, November 13, at the Hilton Austin, and are being featured in a special magazine report that will be distributed to more than 500,000 consumers in Running Network publications throughout the country and will run to the trade as an insert in Footwear Intelligence in early 2008.
The process to determine the best stores began shortly after the 2006 awards were presented at The Running Event in 2006. The list of winning stores was developed based largely on scores turned in by "store raters" from The Franklin Resource Group, the top retail merchandising company in the sporting goods industry. Franklin's team of raters shopped close to 100 stores, ranking them on various aspects of customer service. The raters went into the stores unannounced and purchased a product. Those scores counted for 70 percent of the total grade a store received. Community service and vendor relations accounted for the other 30 percent.
For 2007, the scoring system was changed slightly. The "mystery shopping" accounted for 50 percent of the total grade; community service and vendor relations were upgraded in importance and now count for 50 percent as well.
This year Franklin again "rated" more than 100 stores in an effort to determine the 50 Best Stores ranking. Those stores were nominated by consumers based on ads that appeared in The Running Network this spring. "More than 2000 consumers participated in the nominating process and it was great to see the passion and loyalty they have to these stores," says Mark Sullivan, editor of Footwear Intelligence. "We believe the final 50 Best list will reflect that the passion and loyalty is returned by the store owners themselves."
The 2007 50 Best Running Stores in America
Midwest
Athletic Annex
Big River Running
Elite Feet, Kansas City
Fleet Feet Chicago
Fleet Feet Cincinnati
Fleet Feet St. Louis
Garry Gribble’s Sports
Gazelle Sports
Hanson’s Running Shop
Movin’ Shoes, Madison
Naperville Running Co.
Playmakers
Runners High’N Tri
The Running Spot
The Running Company, Indianapolis |
The West
A Snail’s Pace
Bandanna Running
Boulder Running Company
Fleet Feet Davis
Fleet Feet Tucson
Heart & Sole Sports
Napa Running Company
Runner’s High, Menlo Park
Ryan’s Sports Shop
Salt Lake City Running Co.
See Jane Run
Skinny Raven Sports
Super Jock’n Jill |
The South
1st Place Sports
9th Street Active Feet
TAF Raleigh
Big Peach Running Co.
Fleet Feet Huntsville
Fleet Feet Tulsa
Luke’s Locker
Metro Run & Walk
Pacers Running Store
Potomac River Running
Roger Soler Sports
Running Zone, Melbourne
Run On
Runner’s Depot
Track Shack
Virginia Runner |
The Northeast
Bryn Mawr
Elite Runners & Walkers
Fleet Feet Adams-Morgan
Fleet Feet Syracuse
Flying Feet Sports
Georgetown Running Co.
Marathon Sports
Medved Sports
Jack Rabbit Sports
Whirlaway Sports |
2007 Store of the Year
9th Street Active
|
