Saturday, April 2, 2011

Beep, Beep : ROAD RUNNER Sports Entering Atlanta

ROAD RUNNER Sports, which bills itself as the "World's Largest Running & Walking Store" will be opening their first Atlanta area location later this year. Based in San Diego, California, the company has been in business since 1983. Atlanta marks the 11th market in which the company will have a bricks and mortar presence.

In Atlanta, they will occupy a 5,600 s/f portion of the former Pearl Art & Craft supplies store in Powers Ferry Square at the corner of Roswell and Powers Ferry Roads. Pearl closed early last year and had sat vacant since. The center recently welcomed a relocated Full Cup from East Paces Ferry and will soon welcome The Blue Corset Company. Full Cup and Blue Corset used to be neighbors in the East Andrews area but Full Cup closed and its space is now occupied by Cafe Jonah and the Magical Attic, the new concept from Jenny Levison of Souper Jenny. Blue Corset was formerly in the East Andrews retail complex but moved from there in 2008 to Lenox Square. The Lenox store closed earlier this year.

Overall, the center is far more occupied than it was just six months ago, and there remains talk that the Panera Bread I spoke of last year will eventually come to fruition.

ROAD RUNNER is known for its superior [phone] customer service with personal shoppers available to assist with purchases. Hopefully, this stellar customer service comes through in person, and the store becomes the go-to place for the many residents in the area surrounding Chastain Park.

Construction has yet to begin, but I'm told the store hopes to open in October. The company has said that they feel the Atlanta market could support an additional 2 or 3 stores over the next few years.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish Pearl would reopen in Atlanta (like actually in Atlanta). I miss that store.

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting to see how this company fares in the ATL market with such strong local running companies as Big Peach and Phidippides firmly entrenched - is there room for another running brand?

Anonymous said...

How'd you get anyone to talk to you at Road Runner? I called and all you get is a web of voice mails.

Amy said...

Road Runner Sports is in a different category then Phidippides and Big Peach. Those are great neighnorhood running stores but sell a nice selection of shoes and a very small selection of clothes. I have been ordering from Road Runner Sports for years as their selection of clothes is 5 times the smaller running stores as many hard core runners have experienced over the past 20+ years.

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