If the Shoe Fits

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Fleet Feet Sacramento has grown 350 percent over the past 10 years without ever recording a negative quarter. Pat and Jan Sweeney, who have owned the Sacramento franchise of the specialty running store since 1997, attribute this remarkable success in the fitness business (an industry that typically shows much slower growth) to the store’s dedication to individual fitting processes and do-anything customer service.

The company has developed a fitting system so specific, it’s trademarked. “We don’t train (our employees) in sales,” says Pat. “We train them how to fit properly.”

The largest operator of specialty running stores in the country, Fleet Feet got its start in Sacramento. Sally Edwards opened the first store in 1976, working out of a converted J Street Victorian home with business partner Elizabeth Jansen. Their first year, using a shoebox instead of a cash register, Edwards and Jansen sold $80,000 worth of shoes.

Fleet Feet quickly gained respect for its personalized, expert advice. Its customer service is why Fleet Feet still thrives as a (relatively) little guy amid bigger warehouse sports superstores. Since 1976, the one-building business has grown into Fleet Feet Inc., a nationwide force of 75 franchises. Edwards sold the business to then-Senior Vice President Thomas Raynor in 1993.

Of the 75 stores, Sacramento currently ranks second in retail sales (behind Chicago). Annually, Pat and Jan Sweeney sell an average of 24,000 pairs of shoes. The owners have made good headway in attracting the casual athlete. “The bulk of our customers are the average Joe and Josephine, who may never enter a race,” says Pat. “That’s our bread and butter. They just need good information.” And good information, the owners say, comes from employees that are trained and treated well.

100% MEDICAL AND FREE LUNCH

Fleet Feet hires as many full-time employees as possible, always asking for a minimum yearlong commitment. Full-time employees have full benefits, including 100 percent medical insurance. All employees are provided with free coffee and free lunch, and Pat and Jan regularly grant time off for races.

In the early 1990s, living and working in northern Virginia, Pat needed a new wetsuit for an upcoming triathlon. After purchasing a suit from the Washington, D.C., Fleet Feet, with advice from an employee who had just completed an Ironman triathlon, Pat immediately called his wife. “I said, ‘Jan, I know what we’re going to do with the rest of our lives.’ She thought I had been drinking.”

A few years later, in 1997, Pat and Jan were the owners of the flagship Sacramento store. “Everyone began to know Pat as ‘the guy,’ ” says Jan. Also, adds Pat, “The joke is, Jan’s much more skilled than I, and they had to hire me to keep her on.” Smiling, Jan says, “We became synonymous with the store.” At 49 (Pat) and 47 (Jan), the multisport athletes are the poster children of attractive-fit. They both talk fast. “Can you tell we love what we do?” Jan laughs, somewhat out of breath.

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