Best Running store looking to bring the right fit to downtown Albany

ALBANY – Albany’s Best Running is bringing custom-fitting shoes for those who pound the pavement, but the shoes, geared for comfort, are also a hit with individuals who spend much of the work day on their feet..

The store, the fourth specializing in running shoes and accessories for owner Don Borowski, has soft-opening days planned starting next month, with a June 1 grand opening.

“Seventy percent of our business is health care workers, teachers, people that just need a good pair of shoes,” Borowski said. “It’s a lot better to have good shoes than to have to go to a podiatrist. We’re so excited to come to Albany because there are so many people from Albany who already shop with us.”

Albany residents looking for running shoes already make the drive to Tifton’s Best Running, which has been in business for five years, he said. The other locations are in Statesboro, the original location, which opened 15 years ago, and Valdosta.

A 3D scanner that allows for a custom fit is part of the formula for making sure shoes will be comfortable and supportive, whether for running a marathon or teaching first-graders. But that is not the sole reason for making sure the shoes will cushion customers’ feet.

People can purchase shoes at big-box stores or online, but making the experience positive by making sure the customer’s needs are met is what Borowski said differentiates Best Running.

“We have built our business on being the best in customer service, being kind and giving back,” Borowski said. “I say the second thing you bought was a pair of shoes. The first thing is friendship. We really work harder than anybody to just go above and beyond.”

Another important element for Borowski is giving back to the community.

“We partner with the Pink Ladies in Tifton and Valdosta,” he said. “What we’ve done, we come in there and fit all the employees. At the end, we give 10% back to the Pink Ladies. In Tifton, we gave $6,300 back to the Pink Ladies for all the things they do with their patients.

“We’ve done it two times in Tifton and once in Valdosta. I think that’s the part that goes back to supporting your community and making a difference. I feel like small businesses are the foundation of a community.”

Best Running also has donated shoes to the Called to Care nonprofit. Borowski said that he also has participated in the Albany Marathon Expo, held in conjunction with the Combos Marathon and Half Marathon, for the last four years.

The lockdown that came with the COVID-19 epidemic closed gyms, bringing out more participants in sports that allowed for social distancing and for people to get outdoors. That trend included running, which reportedly saw an increase in individuals picking up the sport and individuals already engaged running more frequently.

The store owner’s personal preference is to do a little bit of running and a little bit of walking. It is an activity that also can bring people together.

“When I found running 20-something years ago, it was the camaraderie of it,” he said. “We all had that in common. I think a lot of people run at a different pace, but you just have to put one foot in front of the other.

“In 15 years, having great customer service, being genuine and giving back to our community has been the secret of our success.”

For the downtown area, which recently celebrated the launch of renovations for the Georgia Grown Resource Center and adjacent 4C on Front Street project, with both scheduled to open in the fall, the new shoe store at 108 Pine Ave., between the Flint Restaurant and Cool Scoops, represents a completion.

“That building (Albany’s Best Running) completes the occupancy for the Front Street Market,” Albany Downtown Manager Lequerica Gaskins said. “It’s going to increase the retail space and opportunities for shopping.”

More retail shopping availability downtown was identified by residents as being a need in the city’s downtown master plan, and the store helps deliver on that request, she said.

Other downtown projects that are currently planned or under construction include the renovation of the former Davis Exchange building for a 56-apartment development, the Harlem Renaissance Legacy Wellness Center, opening of the St. Nicholas Hotel, Albany Museum of Art in the former Belk building and the Look Again project with plans for luxury apartments and dining opportunities.

“Those projects that have been started are being completed, and they’re all coming to fruition at the same time,” Gaskins said. “They’re all happening simultaneously.”