There are many days while walking in Hoboken when you may see a group of brightly dressed runners assembled around the corner of Sixth and Washington Street. This may be one of the many groups in Hoboken who collaborate with the store Fleet Feet. Hoboken’s Fleet Street is one of many locations across the country. This popular running store was started in 1976 in California and the franchise has grown ever since. The Hoboken establishment was opened in 2003 and has worked to become an influential part of the local community.
Although it is a franchise, each store in privately owned and operated by local citizens rather than being enforced by one large corporation. This allows the store to have a stronger tie to the community and each person who walks through its doors. At the same time, being a part of a national franchise allows the store to connect with its vendors like Nike and Asics. These large shoe companies are more likely to do business with a 130 store franchise over one local store.
The benefits the franchise has has increased the store’s ability to operate and provide the products that people want to buy. However, the benefits it offers as a locally owned store are even greater. The owner of the Hoboken location, Shawn Marlovits, has worked to provide numerous benefits to the Hoboken community as well as Stevens.
The quality that is most important about this local retailer is the hospitality and service you experience walking into the door. Fleet Feet does whatever it can to make its customers feel welcome and point them in the right direction. Whether you are an experienced runner or someone looking to get in shape and have no idea where to start, Fleet Feet has it covered. Fleet Feet will compare the size and shape of your foot relaxed and standing up in order to gauge what shoe is the best fit for you. The shoes brands include: Brooks, Asics, Nike, Mizuno, New Balance, and more. The store will also take a look at your old shoes to see where the shoes have taken the most damage and educate customers on what they can do to improve running and how to accomplish just that. The store will also allow customers to return purchased shoes in exchange for others if they are not satisfied with how they feel when running.
Other than shoes, the store sells a large amount of apparel and accessories as well. Items include running shorts and shirts, sports bras, watches, heart rate monitors, pedometers, GPS, Spibelts, yoga mats, swimming goggles, and much more. Shawn says that the items in this store really “could be purchased anywhere,” but the store is not about the products sold, it is the “way in which we sell it.”
Fleet Feet has also gotten very involved outside of the store and into the community. Local running groups such as the Women’s Running Club and the Hoboken Harriers often use the store space as a place to meet before their scheduled run. The store offers a place for runners to purchase quick supplies or nutritional needs before the run. They also provide water for the runners as well as a place to stop and use the restroom or store baggage. The store in turn also informs new customers about these clubs and encourages them to join when they are seeking a new way to get out and run in a group. Fleet Feet also offers a free Fun Run where anyone can show up and run in a group. This run has a 3.3 mile loop in the Hoboken area, followed by a second loop for runners looking to run for longer. About once a month, these runs will host a vendor who will come and allow runners to sample their products as they run. Runners can then gain experience on what they may want to use to supplement their running experience. One example is a prediction run in which each of the runners estimated how fast they would run and the closest person to their guess time would receive a prize. Nike gave the winner a free pair of shoes.
For those looking to train and improve in running, the store also offers paid Training programs in which coaches will help runners train for running a 5k or a marathon. There are 5 to 6 coaches ready to train people of all levels and Fleet Feet is there to help as much as they can in any way. Whenever there is a local run, race, or walkathon, Fleet Feet does what it can to support. Fleet Feet also allows customers to bring in old shoes and donate them to charity. The shoes are often given to homeless shelters, the Red Cross, or shipped off to Haiti.
Now, Fleet Feet is looking to become more involved with the students of Stevens. Currently, there is a 10% discount to students with their ID card. In the following weeks, Fleet Feet will start accepting duckbills. The application has already been sent in, so it is only a matter of time before they receive their machine. This would make Fleet Feet one of the few non-food related stores to accept duckbills. Lately, with the change in the company that handles duckbills, many Hoboken retailers have denied renewing their use of duckbills because of the cost. Fleet Feet believes Stevens students will take advantage of this new opportunity and encourages students to experience all of the privileges offered by the store.
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