Bill Rodgers Running Center to close

runn wrote:

Unfortunately, I only need so much gear, and you can always find deals for shoes online.

The problem with buying online is that an online site isn't going to give you the personal service a running only store will give you.

Support stores like these!

At this point in my running life, I don't have much need for "service". I know what shoes I want. I just want them conveniently delivered at a low price. The on line providers do a better job of that than any physical store.

Sad news on both fronts, I had not heard of Jasons passing he will be missed a great guy who always made you feel at home. CR & Co. was kind enough to hire me to work a few hours at the BRRC in the early 80's when I was trying to get to the "next level". Bought my first pair of spikes at the CC store when in town for the BC Relays a nice pair of Tiger Spartan B's, if they were good enough for Bill and Frank they were good enough for me. Best to all and see you down the road. wf

OINK OINK OINK wrote:

At this point in my running life, I don't have much need for "service". I know what shoes I want. I just want them conveniently delivered at a low price. The on line providers do a better job of that than any physical store.

Perhaps this was part of the downfall of the Bill Rodgers store. Experienced serious runners, the type who are likely to actually know who Bill Rodgers is, don't need their hands held to select shoes. They just want to get them cheap, so on-line is the way to go for them.

Bricks and mortar stores can still cater to the newbies who may need a higher level of service. There's a new crop of TNTers every year to sell to.

Toni's full blog piece here is enriched, as only Toni could capture, with the spirit of that personified runners' world of passionate competitive running and comraderie.

Perhaps you know the words "prig" and pedant." If not, please learn vocabulary.

Fond memories of frequenting the Cleveland Circle store during my student days at BC Law in the early '80s. I was a mediocre 36:30 guy (I'm not sure there were 5ks in those days), and somewhat awestruck by the talent hanging around that store, but they were welcoming and generous with their knowledge.

I lived on Comm Ave., at the top of Heartbreak Hill. Chestnut Hill Reservoir was a favorite route, partly because of the excellent girl-watching it offered. One day I spied Bill R., unmistakable with that flailing elbow, about 50 yards ahead. I sprinted to catch up. (He was warming down.) I can't recall what I said. What I do remember is that he couldn't have been friendlier or more unassuming.

Suburban house cat wrote:

Perhaps this was part of the downfall of the Bill store.

Plausible guess, but no. BRRC's closing is not the result of online competition.

Real shame, because not only is BR a great dude, but the store is charming and well-run. I bought my first pair of spikes there. I'm sure that's true for a lot of Massachusetts runners.

As far as I can tell it is becoming more and more difficult to find deals online for current styles from the major brands.

Where I live (a couple hours from the store,) we just don't have anything quite like Bill's place, so whenever I go to Boston, I have to make a trip to it.

It's the guys in there, the aura, but most of all, it's looking at a wall of shoes and racks of clothes that have everything to do with competition and serious training.

I'm not materialistic, but it's the fact that this tiny place was always stocked with everything that wasn't generic or trendy trainers, or crappy clothes that fall apart. It was all sorts of exotic fabrics and flats that might have been made 10 years ago or last week, but they were there because they were supposed to be.

Damn shame it is.

"great memories", "so sad", blah blah. Run, shut up repeat. Thats' it ;)

you ppl R losers, great runners are from ancient times not the frikken 70's! Losers, want good grammer write a book, this is a post, just get the idea across! Losers, all runners are doing something natural, to idolise some is pathetic. Sure some ppl are great at it but only at the sacrifice of friends and fam. Run to honor the Gods or raise money not to chat about shoes and t-shirts. Losers, he ran for fun and made good cash, so what if the store closes, if u whinny pigs care so much pitch in and buy the tiny store, turn it into the #1 least visited museum in clark county or wherever u fools reside! i never did like the smug running culture. I run at night in all black, alone. Losers :)

Surprised no one has written "it's actually Cheer's, please learn grammer" yet.

ancient:

Your posts remind me of the writing style of Dr. Bronner (liquid soap guy) if he had gone over to the dark side. Here is a sample of Bronner's writing:

The soap labels evolved slowly, first with a few sentences. Eventually the labels on millions of bottles would include such exclamation – pointed statements as”

Only hard work-God’s Law can save us, but if we teach only our clan? We’re all hated then. So we must teach friend & enemy, the whole Human race, the full-truth, hard-work, free speech, press-&-profit sharing Moral ABC’s All-One-God-Faith, lightning like, 6 billion strong, for we’re All-One or none!

Or:

What God does send receive in glad wholesomeness! To strive for greater wealth fortells thy fall. Here is no home, here is but wilderness. Forth pilgrim, forth!

Or:

For we’re ALL-ONE OR NON! ALL-ONE LISTEN CHILDREN ETERNAL FATHER ETERNALLY ONE! EXCEPTIONS ETERNALLY? ABSOLUTE NONE

"Unfortunately, I only need so much gear, and you can always find deals for shoes online."

-this makes me sick. you live next to this place, you praise this place, yet you can't spend a few extra bucks to support it? WEAK.

The bar the TV show used for it's exterior shots was The Bull&Finch. It closed and a new place called heers opened and yes the name was chosen to evoke the long running TV show.

distance guy wrote:

I Love Lucy wrote:

Cheers lives on because of something called "worldwide syndication" and Netflix streaming service.

I was referring to the bar located a mile away in Boston, which thrives due to its loose affiliation with the show to which you were referring.

"Unfortunately, I only need so much gear, and you can always find deals for shoes online."

way to throw a historic store like Bill's under the bus for, what? a $10 discount on a shoe here or there? Lots of loyalty there. I'm sure that all the people at that store were really happy to hear that you saved that money when you needed gear.