that began two years ago when he took on a new partner that allowed
him to stabilize the business and lay the foundation for growth. "Our
business is on a tear right now," Helbig tells Running Insight. Big River
has focused its business around three doors (they closed their fourth store
this past January) and benefitted from
the closure of running stores in the St.
Louis market, including the shutdown
by Dick's of its True Runner store.
Big River spent approximately
$750,000 on the build out of the new
flagship, which is on the same street
as its predecessor. "We had a great
allowance from our new landlord,
which covered most of that cost," Helbig
says. "In the past, we had done our store
design on the cheap, so it was exciting to use a design and architectural
firm to help with this."
The store has also stepped up its advertising, including cable TV spots.
"We're emphasizing that it's a new store and logo, but the same great
customer service we've had in the past." Says Helbig, "The business
trends look good right now. We're very bullish." n
4 runninginsight.com © 2017 Formula4media LLC.
A New Big River (continued)
Big River Running has a new flagship location and a new look.
"We're emphasizing
that it's a new store
and logo, but the
same great customer
service we've had
in the past."
MATT HELBIG, FOUNDER
BIG RIVER RUNNING CO.
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