Mike Huddleston always wanted to help people train and he had that opportunity when he accepted a job with Fleet Feet of Winston-Salem, NC in 2011.
My wife (K.B.) enjoys this store because it reminds her of her community of 20 years at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. “The people who work here are here because they want to be, and it is their lifestyle.”
I have observed Fleet Feet’s “community building” from a distance and have been impressed. I am not a consistent runner but have been a witness of running stores and other retail businesses in Winston-Salem which have come and gone. There are many reasons that this store has been successful … my wife’s testimony is only one to mention.
Excellent customer service goes a long way but these people authentically look forward to their customers (old and new) coming in the front door. And they all smile – genuinely.
There is also a palpable attitude among the sales staff (and the owners) that everything and anything is possible. The number of individuals that have entered this sport through their running clinics and whose personal health has been improved numbers in the thousands. The number of running and triathlon clinics that they have conducted since opening their store in 2006 is in the hundreds.
If you are looking for a “best example” of how to be successful and to have fun doing it, this store is a good place to start.
HM