New Fit2Run flagship store in Bradenton serves runners, cyclists. And there’s a bar, too
It was all hands on deck last week as Fit2Run staff worked to prepare the new company flagship store in Bradenton for its opening Nov. 20.
The store at 4952 Cortez Road W. is something the Bradenton-based company had wanted to open for several years, and as such, it is unique, Parks Robinson, company president, said.
Among the new features are a full-service bike shop with brands such as Trek, Fuji, SE and Jamis, plus white-glove bike service, Robinson said.
Another new feature unique to the flagship store is the Spokes bar, where customers can get water, seltzer or Fit2Run’s own label beer brewed by 3 Daughters Brewery of St. Petersburg.
The F2 Beach Blonde Ale is a lighter version of 3 Daughters’ Beach Blonde Ale, and comes in a “skinny can” with just a tad more than 100 calories, Robinson said.
This new Cortez Road location will give guests a space to gather and connect before or after a neighborhood run or ride with a healthy alternative to sip on.
At the heart of Fit2Run are shoes for walking and running with about 400 models to choose from, along with shorts, shirts and other apparel.
“We are basically a candy store for runners,” Robinson said.
It’s a candy store that Bradenton runners will appreciate having in town, saving them several miles of driving to the University Park area or Lakewood Ranch to reach the stores which were previously the closest to Bradenton.
Fit2Run was founded in 2006 by Parks Robinson and his father, Bill Robinson. The Robinson family has a long history of retail serving those looking to be outside, active in nature.
Bill Robinson, who died in 2020 at age 70, was president of Robby’s Sporting Goods, which was sold to Bradenton-based Champs Sports in 1988. Mr. Robinson’s father, Robby, and uncle, Penny Robinson, founded the company in Bradenton in the 1960s.
Robinson Preserve, a former farming area that might have been developed as a golf course, instead became a popular recreational area through the efforts of Bill Robinson and county officials.
A mural of Robinson Preserve is located near the fitting room at Fit2Run, and there will also be a legacy wall in the store in tribute to Bill Robinson.
Fit2Run also has its own apparel line, “Pep & BB,” so named in honor of Parks’ mother, Pep, and his father, Big Bill.
The new Bradenton store, located in the Oakmont Terrace shopping plaza, is Fit2Run’s 18th store. It is also the third store that Fit2Run has opened in Florida this year.
Unlike many of the other Fit2Run stores, located in malls in Florida and Puerto Rico, the new 7,000-square-foot store is in a former Blockbuster video that has been intensively renovated.
Fit2Run stores are equipped with a diagnostic machine to measure the runner’s gait and outfit them with the best fit. The stores also have an inside track where runners and walkers can try out their new shoes.
Kendra Hopper serves as the manager of the Bradenton Ft2Run store.
“It’s a fresh idea and we’re inventing the wheel. We’re excited and I have a feeling the community has been waiting for this,” Hopper said.
Fit2Run will continue to grow, perhaps by two to five stores a year, growth spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic as more people seek to exercise out of doors, Robinson said.
“It’s a great environment and it is about growth. We want our staff to grow, too. We don’t want to outgrow our culture,” he said.
Hours at Fit2Run are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 941-216-6903 or visit https://www.fit2run.com/.
This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
