From basement specialty store to street-level community hub, The Runners Shop stands as a testament to the power of retail resilience in Toronto. As Canada’s oldest independent running specialty retailer celebrates its golden anniversary in 2025, owner Lynn Bourque has successfully transformed what was once a fading institution into a vibrant community cornerstone that continues to evolve with the changing retail landscape.
Humble Beginnings to Historic Legacy
When David Ellis opened The Runners Shop in 1975, it was the first run-specific store not only in Toronto but in all of Canada. After establishing this pioneering business, Ellis eventually passed the torch to Elaine McCrea, who guided the store for two decades before Bourque, a longtime run club member, took ownership in 2018.
“I’m going to admit that when I took over the store in 2017. I think it was actually—I won’t say it wasn’t failing, but it was fading. And it was fading for a number of reasons”, Bourque shares.
Chief among those reasons was the location. Since 1976, the store had operated from a basement space at Bloor and Avenue Road, across from the ROM. While this was once a prime spot, Toronto’s urban development had gradually diminished its visibility and accessibility.
“As the condos start to come up in Toronto and the urban footprint changed, it was in an old building and was just being totally swallowed up,” Bourque explains. “One of the things I always disliked about the store, even as a runner in the run club, was the location.”
A Pivotal Move at the Perfect Moment
Recognizing that survival required bold action, Bourque made the decision to relocate the store. On February 18, 2020, The Runners Shop opened at its new address—374 Bloor Street West in the Annex neighbourhood—just three weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced widespread shutdowns.
“That move was one of the best things that ever happened to the business,” Bourque says confidently. “Now here we are in the Annex. We had moved into a neighbourhood that had a very strong ‘shop local’ philosophy. And that really was played out during the pandemic.”
The timing proved remarkably fortuitous, as the street-level location allowed the store to continue operating through various stages of pandemic restrictions. “We were literally like three weeks before an entire shutdown,” she recalls.
The business was also able to draw on resources established by the previous owner. “Elaine had kept a customer profile for like 20 years,” Bourque notes. “When I first started, I remember thinking, do you really need this information? But boy, did that data ever come back to give us a helping hand! We had the email addresses and home addresses for all of these people. In the early days of the pandemic, I personally did a lot of hand deliveries.”
The Hospitality Edge in Specialty Retail
Before purchasing The Runners Shop, Bourque spent 30 years in luxury hospitality, working for prominent organizations like Oliver Bonacini Restaurants and the Ritz-Carlton. This background has profoundly influenced her approach to specialty retail.
“I think bringing the luxury hospitality aspect into the store is a significant part of the story,” she explains. “One tenant of the Ritz-Carlton is that you use a customer’s name three times in your interactions with them. So it’s very personal, and that’s something that I like to have at the store.”
Bourque has implemented specific service protocols drawn directly from her hospitality experience. “I tell my staff, the first word I want to hear out of your mouth is ‘how.’ I don’t want to hear ‘Are you looking for something today?’ No. ‘How can I help you?’ It’s how—we are here to serve. This is a service industry and it’s easy to do it really well.”
This service-oriented approach creates a clear differentiation from larger retailers. “Sometimes I joke with my staff and I say, ‘We are the Holt Renfrew of the run specialty world here,'” Bourque shares. “We are here to create an experience. What separates us from the big box retailer is knowledge – on many levels. We know our product, we aim to understand our customers, and we care deeply about the outcome. We are here to serve.
Beyond Retail: Building a Community Hub
The Runners Shop has evolved significantly from a traditional “sit and fit” shoe store into a vibrant community gathering spot. This transformation represents a broader shift in specialty retail that Bourque has embraced wholeheartedly.
“Especially post-COVID, people are looking for communities and engagements, she explains.”
The store’s run club forms the cornerstone of this community approach. The Sunday and Thursday group focuses on distance training for marathons and half-marathons, while a newer Saturday morning group offers a more accessible entry point for beginners.
“I really wanted to get a Saturday group going, a welcoming, more introductory 5k distance,” Bourque says. “It was a little bit of a struggle to get it off the ground. And then eventually these run crews and run clubs have become so popular and so important in the community. And it’s just grown and grown.”
Beyond run clubs, the shop hosts numerous community events and brand demonstrations. “We do a lot of shoe demos with different brands, whether it’s Altra, New Balance, Brooks, Asics, Hoka, Puma, they’ll come in, they bring a fleet of shoes, you can try on the shoes, you can run,” she explains. “Our Saturday group is great for this. And lots of people are super interested in doing this.”
The store has also developed significant racing events, including the Ekiden Relay Race at Tommy Thompson Park and the Sunset Shuffle on Toronto Island. “It’s a big fun event for different run clubs and crews,” Bourque notes about the relay race, which sells out immediately each year
A Team Aligned with the Vision
The Runners Shop’s staff reflects Bourque’s philosophy of allowing people to excel in their natural strengths. Key team members include Ben Nelson, one of Bourque’s first hires who now serves as the store’s shoe buyer; Olivia, who manages all social media and newsletters; and store manager Greg Lindsay, who previously worked with Bourque at Canoe restaurant.
“Let people do what they love. They’ll bring more to the table, and there’s more of a commitment to the business because they have a stake in it,” Bourque explains. “It also frees me up to do what I do best”. “I am a creative person, but I can’t put a spreadsheet together. I don’t do the accessories buying in our store. I don’t buy the shoes. Because I hire people who are really good at that and who are really passionate about doing that.”
Many staff members began as run club participants. “A couple of them have come through the run club. They just come out, join us for a run,” Bourque shares. “I now have a full-time employee who I’ve basically seen through university and through his master’s. Over time he’s developed into a shoe dog.”
The “shoe dog” she refers to is Michael Denomme, who has worked at the shop for three years and is described in company materials as the store’s footwear expert. “I’m a bit of a gear head when it comes to running shoes, so I really love just getting to talk to lots of different people about nerdy things about running shoes,” Denomme is quoted as saying in the store’s biographical materials.
Strategic Specialization for Future Growth
While maintaining exceptional in-store service, The Runners Shop has strategically developed specialized offerings that differentiate it from competitors and online retailers—a key strategy for future growth. track and field spik
“We are one of the biggest suppliers, if not the biggest supplier of track and field spikes in the country,” Bourque reveals. “Ben and I have really worked on that since we came together. Way back, we saw an opportunity for growth because nobody else was doing it.”
This specialization has created a nationwide customer base. “Especially in months where we’re not selling a lot of running shoes like January and February, but the indoor track season is happening…we are selling spikes from Labrador to Salt Spring Island. The demand is there but the availability of product is generally low. It also requires a lot of staff knowledge to sell the product properly. So even the brands only want to trust a limited number of respected retailers
The store has also focused on brands that complement rather than compete with other specialty running stores in Toronto. “One of our biggest brands is Brooks. Well, Black Toe and Culture, they don’t sell Brooks. So it’s like, great, let’s make sure we’re getting those Brooks customers,” she explains.
Looking ahead, Bourque recognizes the need to balance in-store excellence with omnichannel accessibility.
We have built our reputation on the “sit and fit” experience but at the same time, acknowledge that growth requires some adaptation to digital sales channels. “I do have to give a little bit and not just 100% focus on the sit and fit experience,” she notes. “The opportunity for growth is actually a little bit outside of that.”
Celebrating 50 Years with an Eye to the Future
The Runners Shop’s 50th anniversary celebration features a comprehensive historical display created in collaboration with Lauren Ishak, a former employee with creative talents. The display chronicles the evolution of running from the early 1970s through the store’s founding in 1975 and beyond.
“I knew when I was doing the research, I couldn’t do it without telling the story that actually started with Bill Bowerman,” Bourque explains, referring to the Nike co-founder. “He launched an industry himself before Nike was founded. Going back to Blue Ribbon Sports and the 1972 Olympics, was the obvious starting point.”
The anniversary celebration also features a distinctive merchandise collection incorporating the store’s five brand colors, which represent their core values. “In the logo, the colors had to be there. The colors represent our brand values,” Bourque says. “In many ways those colours help us everyday to stay focused on our brand story. They always represent a starting point and a finish point.
As The Runners Shop enters its second half-century, Bourque sees specialty retail’s future as collaborative rather than competitive. “A rising tide raises all boats,” she reflects, quoting Alan Brooks of the Canada Running Series. “The better the run specialty stores are doing, the more that collectively we are teaching people that they shouldn’t be shopping online or at these big brand stores.”
For Bourque, the key to continued success is staying focused on the store’s strengths rather than being distracted by competitors. “Not going down rabbit holes concerned with things that don’t matter, and don’t reflect your business plan. Like—you must always be focused on your strengths. Don’t worry unnecessarily about what’s going on in somebody else’s yard,” she advises.
As specialty retail continues to evolve in an increasingly digital marketplace, The Runners Shop demonstrates that independent stores can thrive by combining traditional strengths—expert knowledge, personalized service, and authentic community—with strategic adaptation to changing consumer expectations. After 50 years, Canada’s oldest running specialty store isn’t just surviving; it’s setting the pace for the next generation of specialty retailers.
Dustin Fuhs is the Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication. He has over 20 years of experience in the retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality industries, including with The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, Starbucks and Blockbuster.
Dustin was named as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024 and 2025.