Lucky Road is planning to open at 3002 W. Cary St., where Road Runner closed earlier this month. (Jack Jacobs photo)
A Carytown storefront is swapping one running shoes shop for another.
Richmond Road Runner permanently closed its location at 3002 W. Cary St. last weekend.
Road Runner will be replaced by regional chain Lucky Road, which also has locations at Willow Lawn shopping center, 13265 Rittenhouse Drive in Midlothian and in Fredericksburg, according to its website.
The change in tenancy was confirmed Tuesday by property owner Thom Suddeth, who opened Road Runner as an independent store in the same spot in 1983. Suddeth sold the shop about a decade ago in a deal that eventually brought Road Runner under the control of national chain Fleet Feet.
Suddeth said he decided not to renew Road Runner’s lease because he wanted a steadier presence in the space, as Road Runner has been subject to changes in ownership over the years.
Road Runner’s exit comes a few months after local Fleet Feet franchisee Jeff Wells said he had planned to buy the Carytown store from Fleet Feet corporate next spring.
Reached Tuesday, Fleet Feet said the Carytown store closing was a means to better streamline its market presence. Wells operates Fleet Feet stores at 5600 Patterson Ave. and 11651 W. Broad St. He’s also about to open a location in Midlothian.
“With existing locally-owned Fleet Feet locations in both Westhampton and Short Pump, the Carytown Road Runner location created market overlap for our customers,” a Fleet Feet spokeswoman said in an email. “Making the decision to close the Carytown Road Runner location was a part of a longer-term strategy to provide greater market coverage while creating a better customer experience for the community.”
The spokeswoman said the Midlothian store is now expected to open in early December.
It’s unclear when Lucky Road is slated to open in the Carytown spot and whether it will be an entirely new location or the relocation of an existing store. Lucky Road owner Jeff Van Horn was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
Suddeth sold his original Road Runner to Running Specialty Group in 2013, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report from that year. That company would later be renamed JackRabbit and be bought by Fleet Feet in 2021.
Lucky Road is planning to open at 3002 W. Cary St., where Road Runner closed earlier this month. (Jack Jacobs photo)
A Carytown storefront is swapping one running shoes shop for another.
Richmond Road Runner permanently closed its location at 3002 W. Cary St. last weekend.
Road Runner will be replaced by regional chain Lucky Road, which also has locations at Willow Lawn shopping center, 13265 Rittenhouse Drive in Midlothian and in Fredericksburg, according to its website.
The change in tenancy was confirmed Tuesday by property owner Thom Suddeth, who opened Road Runner as an independent store in the same spot in 1983. Suddeth sold the shop about a decade ago in a deal that eventually brought Road Runner under the control of national chain Fleet Feet.
Suddeth said he decided not to renew Road Runner’s lease because he wanted a steadier presence in the space, as Road Runner has been subject to changes in ownership over the years.
Road Runner’s exit comes a few months after local Fleet Feet franchisee Jeff Wells said he had planned to buy the Carytown store from Fleet Feet corporate next spring.
Reached Tuesday, Fleet Feet said the Carytown store closing was a means to better streamline its market presence. Wells operates Fleet Feet stores at 5600 Patterson Ave. and 11651 W. Broad St. He’s also about to open a location in Midlothian.
“With existing locally-owned Fleet Feet locations in both Westhampton and Short Pump, the Carytown Road Runner location created market overlap for our customers,” a Fleet Feet spokeswoman said in an email. “Making the decision to close the Carytown Road Runner location was a part of a longer-term strategy to provide greater market coverage while creating a better customer experience for the community.”
The spokeswoman said the Midlothian store is now expected to open in early December.
It’s unclear when Lucky Road is slated to open in the Carytown spot and whether it will be an entirely new location or the relocation of an existing store. Lucky Road owner Jeff Van Horn was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
Suddeth sold his original Road Runner to Running Specialty Group in 2013, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report from that year. That company would later be renamed JackRabbit and be bought by Fleet Feet in 2021.
Tom is a solid guy and has been supporting running in Richmond for decades. I wish him all the luck with this space.