Charlotte Walsh was 14 when she got fitted for her first pair of running shoes, recalling her feet being measured and being asked about her running goals. That stuck with her, she said, and now, at 50, Walsh, a Westwood resident and former Marine, owns and runs Charles River Running in Norwood, selling athletic footwear and accessories. In November, her business was named one of Competitor magazine’s top 50 running stores in the United States. We spoke to Walsh for this story.
Q. How do you compete with the big retail stores?
A. All our staffers are runners -- they know running -- and we measure your feet, put you in the category of shoe you need, and work with you until you find the right shoes. That just doesn’t exist in big box stores and certainly not online.
Q. What makes your store different than other stores?
A. I’m one of the only woman-owned shoe stores in Massachusetts and, as far as I know, the only one owned by a former Marine officer. And I feel strongly about this little community; people have lived here for generations, and I didn’t know if they’d take me in. But they’ve been great to me; we have a lot of local loyal customers of all ages from all walks of life. You cannot stop engaging with customers and the community, and we engage them on every level, in print ads, social media, and just being out and about.
Q. How has running shoe technology changed?
A. In this industry, it’s a race to the moon who can make the lightest shoe with all the comfort and support. They’re getting much lighter, and the uppers are more comfortable. There’s no need to break them in; you just put them on and go.
Q. You still run regularly?
A. Yes, I just ran a Marine Corps marathon, and have done the Boston Marathon twice. And we have “Thursday Strong” at the store, a running club anyone can join. We meet every Thursday at 7 p.m. and go out with vests and lights and run, summer and winter. Believe it not, the winter session is the most popular. We also do two races a year to raise money for charity and donate old shoes to the MORE Foundation, which sells them and uses the money to help farmers in Africa.
Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at pkandarian@aol.com.