New Charlevoix Running Co. opens in Charlevoix for sneaker seekers

CHARLEVOIX — For the first time in over fifteen years, a shoe store is back in Charlevoix.

Emily Edwards, a former teacher and Michigan State University cross country and track and field student-athlete, opened the doors of Charlevoix Running Co. in mid-May, and the reception has been, as Emily describes, overwhelming.

“I was teaching full time, and we got our employees trained and POS training the day before it opened, so it was a little chaotic.”

Even with the tumultuous opening, Edwards was able to open the store in mid-May, in part due to already-informed employees.

“Our employees are already really familiar with shoes, and we had one already familiar with a POS system, which is already a nice little perk,” Edwards said.

Edwards, who has spent her last eight years in Charlevoix raising a family and teaching, had a vision for the store long before it broke ground.

“It was kind of a joke for a while between the Drenths and I- Walt, Doug, and me- joking we had to open a running store up here,” Edwards said. "Then, I saw the store while I was sitting at Smoke on the Water, and it was kind of outside the main drag so it would be cheaper rent. It was like ‘oh my gosh, we might be able to do this’ moment.”

The store, which carries ASICS, Hoka One One, Oofos, Brooks, and Altra, is located on Park Ave - directly across from Smoke on the Water.

One of the store’s main sales pitches is the fitting process – a system where an iPad, held by a trained employee, films a customer walking and decides the best-fitting type of shoe specifically for the person’s foot.

“(My) teammates from MSU, Carlie and Spencer Beatty guided me and trained me on fitting shoes using a gait analysis process. Spencer who works for Karnan Associates, (they) actually designs gait analysis trainings for run specialty stores around the country. We measure the size of the feet, film the gait in slow motion, measure some angles, and recommend footwear to correct or improve a person’s natural gait,” Edwards said.

While Edwards does admit the store’s opening has been rather hectic, she recently received a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The organization awarded the new store $25,000 through the “Match on Main Grant.”

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The grant, which is administered by local downtown development authorities, will give Edwards a boost as she heads into the next stretch of the summer.

“The DDA awarded us $25,000 and we have to put it towards something that we had planned on. It will be towards inventory reimbursement,” Edwards said.

While the summer months are notoriously busy in downtown Charlevoix, Edwards had some hesitancy about opening the store due to low population in the winter time. One study by the Networks Northwest stated that Charlevoix County had a 72 percent decrease in population during the winter months.

“I’m going to heavily be relying on local support during those months. I might put some things online.”

Edwards believes the grant will give her a little bit of leeway come the frigid season.

“The grant will help us give a little wiggle room to help us thrive in years to come.”

The store is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The store is closed on Wednesdays.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: New Charlevoix Running Co. opens in Charlevoix for sneaker seekers