Ten yrs ago, Adam Jones was stuck in site visitors on Interstate 40 right after going to Raleigh, North Carolina, to buy functioning shoes.
The imagined happened to him then that he couldn’t be the only person in Danville who necessary a nearer put to invest in footwear for outdoor recreation.
And the plan for The Brick Managing & Tri Retail outlet in downtown Danville was born.
“At that time there was a great deal of converse about the revitalization of downtown Danville and the River District, the making of the new YMCA and the expansion of the Riverwalk Path, so I needed to be in the coronary heart of Danville,” mentioned Jones, the proprietor of The Brick.
He stated the name of the retail outlet was designed on a serviette when he was sitting down in a Crimson Lobster and refers to coaching back-to-back on two disciplines throughout a work out, which is known as a “brick.”
“At The Brick, our saying is ‘The Brick is exactly where you under no circumstances hit the wall,’” he stated.
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The retail outlet specializes in the sale of shoes, attire, machines and diet to walkers, runners, triathletes, swimmers and, additional not too long ago, bicyclists.
“Our most important lineup is shoes,” mentioned Michael Nichols, a sales specialist at the shop. “From going for walks to standing at a change at work, we in essence tailor footwear to a person’s needs. For the employee at Goodyear we have composite toe footwear, and for waiters, we have slip-resistant sneakers.”
Nichols mentioned the store was “blessed” to make it by means of the pandemic.
“We experienced issues along the way on anything from limits, this kind of as confined capacity, to offer chain concerns, but we have come out Ok,” he mentioned.
The store has 5 workers aside from Jones and all of them have previously been associated in some style of managing.
Group out of doors activities
As aspect of its commitment to outdoors recreation, The Brick is the assembly place for weekly group walkers, runners and bicyclists in the evening.
“The group walk on Wednesday evenings at 6 has 10 or more folks of all ages and with all types of paces,” stated Emily Wallace, a income specialist. “They just present up and stroll about 3 miles. They are as friendly as can be.”
Another group who runs satisfies at the retail outlet at 6 p.m. Thursday.
“It’s the same point but running,” Wallace claimed. “There are all kinds of paces from a 12-minute mile to a seven-minute mile.”
A chalkboard at the back again of the retail store lists all the races going on in the area.
“Anyone who arrives in can see the local races,” explained Nichols. “We like to advertise overall health and wellness.”
He discussed, even so, that a individual doesn’t have to be a runner to be served by them.
“We’ve assisted people today in wheelchairs and on canes to get the shoes they want,” he mentioned.
Wallace said the store gives close to 120 different forms and manufacturers of footwear and inserts. They also have an Aetrex machine that shoppers stage on for an assessment of what sort of insert they want for any sort of shoe.
“Those personalized insoles have been rather common,” Wallace explained.
Other merchandise incorporate swimming equipment.
“We have a soaked suit method when persons want to swim in the open up drinking water,” Nichols explained. “We have a rental method that will save hundreds on shopping for that devices.”
Getting into bikes
Due to the fact December, The Brick has begun supplying bikes and all the extras, as well as bike repair service.
“A local bicycle store shut down, and we commenced having a great deal of phone calls about bikes, so we stepped up to bikes,” Nichols reported. “Not everybody can or desires to run.”
He mentioned the store is now selling mountain bikes, highway bikes and a hybrid type of bicycle.
“We get a whole lot of clients in who bicycle the trails at Dan Daniel, and the Riverwalk is also pleasant to bikes,” he stated of Danville’s popular element and path program. “We have bikes and accessories from fix kits to tubes, tires and helmets.
“We also have a mend store with a accredited fix mechanic. That is been preferred lately, so if you have a bike that is been in the garage for two years, provide it in.”
He explained they test to retain the bikes economically priced all over $800.
The retailer has also started a bicycle group to satisfy on Tuesdays at 6 p.m.
“We’re even now operating out the kinks on that,” stated Wallace.
‘Only place’
Steve Scott, a runner, is just one of the store’s contented buyers.
“The Brick is the only place to occur for sneakers because of the company,” he claimed on a day he was in the shop browsing. “I’ve probably acquired 100 pairs of footwear in this article and pants and hats.”
He likes the retail outlet for motives other than their items, nevertheless.
“Adam is extremely supportive of runners,” he reported. “I begun working with disabled kids, and I attained out to Adam. He was supportive and amazing about it.”
But, he adds, he normally appears at the footwear when he’s in the retail store.
Wallace claimed the misunderstanding is that you have to be a runner to have on very good footwear, but she just place her mother, who is a nurse, into a superior pair of footwear.
“People from all about Danville occur in in this article. 1 customer is a decide who is a walker, and there is an older gentleman who has Parkinson’s, and we get a lot of men and women with a doctor’s recommendation,” she said. “Anyone and every person can occur in.”
Elzey is a freelance author for the Danville Sign-up & Bee. She can be arrived at at [email protected].
