COSE Update - May 2012

The runner’s world is a relatively small one. There are race regulars, running group devotees, enthusiasts that have been pounding pavement for decades and newbies that are lacing up for the first time. In Northeast Ohio, you’re bound to “run” into people you know who love the sport, and independent shops like Cleveland Running Co. make that easier.

The shoe store is the starting line for runners. It’s where they get gear, gain advice, join running groups and make lifelong friends. But the shop is a front for what’s really inside: a running community. “That is our goal,” says Jeff Fisher, who opened Cleveland Running Co., 20150 Van Aken Blvd., Shaker Heights, in July 2011.

Fisher has been running since 1978 and
spent 20 years working at independent
running shops before working at a couple
of “big box” stores that sold shoes. He
began scouting locations for a running
store of his own and landed on this spot in
Shaker Heights, a community where there’s
always someone on foot, he says.

Meanwhile, buying local is a big draw for runners who go to independent shops like Fisher’s. Meanwhile, people go to Cleveland Running Co. because they want personal service, instruction and the camaraderie of meeting other runners. And Fisher delivers. Cleveland Running Co. organized two running groups that draw a pack—one meets Mondays and Wednesdays, the other on Saturdays.

Cleveland Running Co. also offers clinics on topics like nutrition and stretching, and hosts weekly yoga classes. “We hope runners come not just for the shoes but to learn something,” Fisher says.