WILLIAMSBURG — If you ever wished you could try sneakers outdoors before buying a pair, a new shop pledges to help, with a replica of a city running path inside its walls.
Brooklyn Running Company, Williamsburg's first specialty running shop, is installing a black rubber track mimicking the Williamsburg Bridge's path for clients to test out their shoes, the owner said.
"We'll have a 60-foot rubber track right down the middle of our store, and people will be jogging up and down on that to help us determine the right type of shoe," store co-founder Matt Rosetti said.
The shop, which opens next month at 222 Grand St., will also invite clients to run on the store's treadmill for a further analysis of their needs.
"We film you run...and we show you the footage. We break you down in slow motion, how your foot strikes and how your body runs," said Rosetti, who noted that store's staff would also talk with customers about their injury history to help direct them to the appropriate shoe.
Rosetti, 38, who first started running when he was 9 years old, runs another store in Scranton, Pa. with his partners. He said Brooklyn Running Company would also offer shoes and gear catering specifically to athletes who practice the cross-training workout CrossFit.
"We'll sell really low to the ground, flat-bottom shoes, a minimalist shoe," Rosetti said of CrossFit practitioners' preferences.
The shop will feature both mainstream brands and local niche companies like the New York-based Outdoor Voices.
Rosetti also wrote on Twitter that he wanted to offer "organic running shoes," but has yet to find them.
In the meantime, he said, the shop will feature a shoe wall made from reclaimed wood.
"We're trying to be eco-friendly in that regard," he said.
Brooklyn Running Company opens Nov. 1 at 222 Grand St.
