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If the Shoe Fits
Sacramento's flagship Fleet Feet franchise
is all about training, sales talent and the love of the run.
By Marion Anthonisen | From October 2007
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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