Nestled within the coronary heart of downtown Halifax, Aerobics First has been serving the operating neighborhood there since 1980. It’s change into a pillar of the neighborhood–a spot for runners to search out the newest and best, pop in for a fast go to, get their skis waxed for winter–and, as soon as a month, take part on the chill-paced Bagel Run that’s change into a neighborhood staple.
“We’ve been in the identical constructing since 1980, initially in only a small little a part of the constructing, after which through the years, we’ve grown to take up your complete constructing, and now we personal the constructing,” explains retailer supervisor Matthias Mueller. “Working and strolling have all the time been our huge factor; we began on the top of the jogging craze within the early Eighties, earlier than any shops have been round. Our founder, Margaret Armour, had travelled a good bit and had seen the passion of operating rising somewhere else, however it hadn’t fairly made it to the Maritimes but. So she stated, ‘We actually want to do that. We have to begin a operating retailer, and convey it right here.’ And he or she did.”
Now, the shop nonetheless serves primarily runners and walkers, but in addition has added a strong alpine snowboarding element to their choices. And it has advanced with the instances, by way of what runners want. Now, the employees is there to assist runners and walkers of all ranges discover the proper shoe to serve their wants and match their toes. Lots of the individuals who work within the store are runners themselves. As an example, Mueller is a former monitor and cross-country runner who graduated from Dalhousie College with a level in kinesiology and a want to assist extra folks uncover a love of operating. He began as a part-time worker throughout college, and, a decade later, he’s nonetheless there, now performing as retailer supervisor.
“I really feel very fortunate,” he says. “I’ve had some actually good mentors right here. The homeowners, Luke MacDonald (who retired this spring) and Dean Cheverie, have been wonderful mentors, and their objective has all the time been to attempt to foster the subsequent era of possession. And so they bought that originally from from Margaret, who began the shop. Her objective was all the time to principally move it off to the subsequent era. Luke and Dean have been that era, after which I suppose I’m the subsequent.”
Rising the Halifax run neighborhood
“The Bagel Run is a month-to-month neighborhood run that we host,” Mueller explains. “The entire goal was that we wished to deliver the run neighborhood again collectively. In Halifax, there’s fairly quite a lot of completely different golf equipment and crews and teams. Just about on daily basis of the week has one thing occurring. Slightly than us having an in-house run membership, the place we’re competing with our neighborhood membership down the road, we thought a month-to-month community-oriented run that would deliver all of the teams collectively made extra sense. We invite everybody, and it’s a chance for folks new to the town and new to the neighborhood to fulfill the completely different run golf equipment. It’s beginner-friendly, however there are additionally loads of runners who’re coaching for quick marathons or ultras. We do a relaxed 5K collectively after which we have now bagels and low, so folks can mingle.”
“We wished to help and develop golf equipment in our neighborhood, and the Bagel Run actually has achieved that,” he provides.
Past that, the shop makes some extent of being as inclusive and welcoming as potential, and that features prominently inserting the LGBTQ+ pleasant emblem of their on-line profile. “We simply really need everybody to really feel welcome to return in to our retailer,” Mueller says. “We wish to attempt to have a optimistic affect on whoever’s strolling within the door.”
Discovering the proper match
“I really like getting to assist folks, all the best way from elite performance-oriented runners to somebody’s nice aunt who’s simply popping out of the hospital and wishes new footwear after hip surgical procedure,” says Mueller. “We’ve got such a range of consumers, and I actually get pleasure from problem-solving. Every individual is exclusive, and so is the answer to their concern, and what gear or gear goes to work one of the best for them.”
“That is a part of why our identify is Aerobics First,” he provides. “We wish folks to steer lively, wholesome existence. We all know that if folks may be lively later into life, then their high quality of life improves. And a lot of that may begin along with your toes: in case your toes are all the time sore, impulsively, it sucks to stroll down the block to get groceries. Your exercise and mobility decline. Your high quality of life declines in a short time. Our mission actually is to assist folks keep lively and transferring so long as potential.”
His finest tip for getting sneakers? It’s easy. “At all times strive them on. Attempt them on.”
And your splendid shoe adjustments over time. “We’ve got individuals who’ve shopped with us for 30 years, and so it is vital, each every so often, for us to have that repeat buyer and say, Let’s sit down and re-measure, get one other take a look at your toes and see what’s modified,” he says. “The foot is a extremely dynamic and fluid construction, with many alternative little bones, plenty of ligaments and tendons. So we do see the foot change over the course of somebody’s life. It’s essential to then regulate your becoming issues as that evolution happens.”
Giving again to the neighborhood
Lastly, it’s not nearly enjoyable runs adopted by bagels. The shop additionally runs an annual sock marketing campaign in the course of the vacation season (it’s occurring proper now, actually). “Our annual Snookie Socks marketing campaign is a program the place, with the assistance of our clients and neighborhood, we glance to offer wool socks to houseless or near-houseless people in our metropolis,” he explains. “Footwear shield toes, however good socks save toes. Over the past a number of years, we have now raised $27,000, which equates to greater than 4,000 pairs of socks donated to people in want.”
The shop additionally has a program referred to as #FitItForward, the place they take new or gently-used footwear and distribute it to these most in want in our area people with the assistance of neighborhood outreach companions. “As a longstanding Nova Scotia enterprise, we try to have a optimistic affect by way of assorted social initiatives. In any case, we wish to help and provides again to the neighborhood that has supported us for therefore a few years.
