Charlotte Running Company Named the Best Running Store in America
Charlotte Running Company was named the Best Running Store in America by the Running Event in Austin, TX for 2021, on Monday, 10th January 2022. The Charlotte Running Company is a running specialty retailer that has been operating in Charlotte, NC for 21 years.
The retailer, with four stores in North Carolina and one in South Carolina, was named Store-of-the-Year for 2021. Over 1000 retailers were considered for the coveted award, which was narrowed down to the Top 60. Charlotte Running Co. edged out three other stores (Fleet Feet Montclair in Montclair, NJ; Run Hub Northwest in Eugene, OR; and Johns Run/Walk Shop in Lexington, KY) to win the number one spot.
“We are unbelievably honored to be recognized in this way by our industry. This award confirms what we have been striving for these past 21 years of operations: to be an asset to our community while offering friendly, knowledgeable, and exemplary customer service,” says Charlotte Running Company Founder, Scott Dvorak.
Following a rigorous evaluation process that began with runners nominating their favorite running stores for consideration on BestRunningStores.com, Charlotte Running Co. has emerged as one of the 60 Best. Nearly 200 stores across the country were nominated by more than 16,000 runners. More than 120 stores were evaluated for their connections and service to their local communities after those nominations were vetted. We reviewed the store’s efforts to partner with local charities and running groups, as well as the clinics and education they offer to customers.
The final step in determining the list was a “Mystery Shopping Report” conducted by Franklin Retail Solutions, the leading in-store merchandising company in the sports industry. Franklin mystery shoppers anonymously visited all the stores considered for the award to buy a pair of shoes, and they rated the stores on the service provided by using twenty-five different criteria. The criteria started with how promptly customers were greeted and continued through shoe-fitting techniques all the way to the check-out process.
Dvorak accepted the award on Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 while attending The Running Event (TRE), North America’s Largest run specialty conference and tradeshow. The event annually brings together thousands of retailers, race directors, industry experts, top brands, and changemakers from a variety of specialty running stores and is held at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.
The Charlotte Running Company was founded in 2000 by two former professional runners, Scott Dvorak and Eric Hichman. Today, Scott Dvorak operates alongside co-owners, Donny Forsyth and Jamie Davis, offering a treasure trove of running and walking shoes, technical apparel, fitness accessories, and nutritional supplements to the Carolina’s fitness community.
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