Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Kearney.
Hi Brian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In January of 2018, I was training some clients as an Endurance Coach for Lifetime Fitness. I was a triathlete and a runner, a cyclist, etc. I had a client that lived in Monroe and she told me that they really could use a running shoe store there. So, I started researching it and wound up opening Winged Foot Running & Walking in November of 2018. When we started, our mission was to bring Health and Fitness (mainly running and walking) to the Downtown Monroe area. We started group runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays, then shortly after, we added another training day on Thursday. So, we were offering community runs and workouts three days per week. We had a lot of followers for this and gained a ton of momentum.
However in 2020, it all stopped because of COVID. We tried bringing it back in April 2021 but nobody showed up. We tried for about three months but still no traction. We really struggled just to keep the doors open but somehow managed to stay afloat. Now, 2023 has arrived and we are in our 5th year of operations. Every business owner has told me that if you can make it through five years, then you should be okay. Well, here we are in year number five and we are going all in to make this work. We will be starting our runs and walks again on Tuesday, March 14th at 6:00 pm from the shop. Hopefully, we can see the gains we saw from the end of 2018-2020.
Our shop is pretty simple. We offer the best shoes in the industry including Brooks, Hoka, Saucony, Mizuno, and Altra. We also have apparel, nutrition, and other accessories such as socks, insoles, sunglasses, hats, etc.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Of course in 2020 when COVID hit the world, we had to shut down for the entire month of April. So, that was difficult to navigate through. However, the community did a great job of shopping local and keeping a lot of the Monroe money in Monroe. The other big obstacle was the shipping or supply chain shortage at the end of last year. That was even more difficult than COVID because we were completely out of stock with the more popular brands. Other than those events, it has been pretty much what we expected… 3-5 years of surviving before we feel like we can stay afloat for a while 🙂
We’ve been impressed with Winged Foot Running & Walking, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a retail running and walking specialty shoe store in Downtown Monroe. We carry Brooks, Hoka, Altra, Saucony, and Mizuno. I personally picked these five companies because of the many years of experience I have in running and triathlon. I was an Endurance Fitness Specialist for Lifetime Fitness for about eight years before I opened this store. Before that, I was a marathon runner. So, I’ve put thousands of miles in several different shoes and came to the conclusion that these five companies were not only at the top of the list but also are all designed completely different. None of these companies have the same cut or style. This allows the different customer options based on the shape of their foot and what they are using the shoes for. We also do personal fittings so the customer leaves with the best-fitting shoe for their needs. In addition, we offer group runs and walks for the community every Tuesday evening at 6:00 starting March 14th. We will be partnering with South on Broad’s Tuesday Night Trivia and Drink Specials which will begin at 7:00 pm every Tuesday immediately after our run/walk.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think our industry is booming. There are a lot of people out there looking to spend more time outside exercising, running, walking, etc. Plus, I’m seeing more and more people come in to get these shoes just because they want a perfectly fitting, comfortable shoe to wear throughout the day on an everyday basis.
Pricing:
- All pricing is set by the shoe manufacturers so they are the same everywhere usually about $120-$180
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wingedfootrunwalk.com
- Instagram: wfrunning
- Facebook: wfrunning
