With the plethora of sports-gear vendors like eastbay.com, City Sports, Footlocker and even the shop at Pottruck, one might wonder, "Why should I schlep downtown to five-month-old Philadelphia Runner?" Well, aside from the fact that you can lunch at nearby Brasserie Perrier, visit Runner because its not just a runner's store, but a runner's "community."
According to owner and manager Bryan Mahon, his goal for the store "is to become the Town Square of Philadelphia's runners' community," selling not only merchandise, but better yet, "knowledge, service and enthusiasm." All of the staff are serious runners, and assess customers' feet type and stride in order to fit them with the best shoe.
At the front of the store is a massive treadmill, surrounded by books and pamphlets for running events, nutrition and training. And, no, this treadmill is not so customers can fit in their afternoon run during their lunch break. Employee Will Arbuckle, who is both a Penn senior and a competitive runner, explains that the treadmill is used to "find the best shoe for each customer." For free, customers can receive a "video foot-strike analysis," which shows frame-by-frame how their foot hits the ground and can tell whether or not they pronate or have other needs for specific support in a running shoe. And, according to both Arbuckle and Mahon, finding the right shoe can mean the difference between getting hurt or not.
Aside from the chic ambiance and music like Guster and Jack Johnson, Philadelphia Runner has all the accessories and energy food a runner could want. They carry the usual PowerBars, reflective vests, watches, heart rate monitors and foot fungus sprays. But, they also carry the oh-so-cool Oakley Digital Music Eyewear. These are not just normal sporty sunglasses for runners and cyclists. These are adjustable, comfortable, intimidating, mp3 player-sunglass hybrids. Who needs an iPod when you can run hands-free and in style?
Philadelphia Runner is fast becoming a haven for runners. With lockers in the back, runners can come in after work, change into their gear and join others for weekly group runs. No reservtions are necessary -- just show up and join the group. As Arbuckle commented on the store, "The coolest part is that we bring people together."
Running is their specialty, so if you're a beginner, training for a marathon or just want cool new work-out clothes, definitely check out Philadelphia Runner.
