Route 16 Running & Walking

I’m a supporter of small business and really wanted to buy my running shoes locally as opposed to schlepping to a bigbox. SInce I was new to the area, I searched
for a local store and found Route 16 online. I went into this store expecting more considering the reviews. I was greeted upon entering the store by a young man who helped me didn’t seem to sure of himself, yet he was able to answer my questions — sort of — but I know enough about the shoes I wanted to purchase.
I was the only person in the store for 5 minutes until another customer entered. The «owner» came out from the back while I was trying on shoes to help a the second customer who announced she was only there to try on shoes and then was going to purchase them online elsewhere. The owner sat her down in a chair and proceeded to give her the full dissertation on buying the right shoe.
I decided which shoe to purchase, which were marked at $ 140, and when the quirky clerk person rang me up, he announced the price was now $ 145. I pointed to the sign, which displayed $ 140 and he said that the price was incorrect and they were now $ 145, they just hadn’t the time to change the sign. I told him I would pay $ 140, not $ 145. He gestured to the owner who was still giving the tennis shoe dissertation to the teenager, and with visible irritation, he came over to see what the problem was.
I told him the shoe was displayed at $ 140 and that his clerk wanted to charge me $ 145. He explained the same, they hadn’t yet changed the sign, and reaffirmed the shoes were indeed $ 145 as they rang up on the register. I told him I wouldn’t pay the extra $ 5, and he grudgingly rang them up for $ 140.
Not worth the hassle, I won’t be going back for the lack of quailty service.

Best running store in the Puget sound period. Great helpful staff with a wide array of great running shoes and apparel. Thanks to Miguel for opening a great business this side of the bridge!

I joined a gym at the end of July to try and get healthy and to lose weight. I just bought some every day Adidas. It didn’t take long to develop some major foot pain. I went to Lady Foot Locker and the clerk recommended some Asics. She didn’t help me size them or anything. Compared to the Adidas, they were comfortable so I bought them. The pain didn’t get any better and it moved up into my legs.
So on a whim I went to Route 16 today on my way to the gym (I found out about them at the gym). I don’t know why I waited so long! The lady that helped me asked me some questions, asked me to walk down the hallway. She explained that my shoes were too short and too narrow and told me that was causing the foot pain on the bottoms of my feet and that it was probably also causing some tightness in my calves (very true!) and that I was automatically compensating by walking on the outsides of my feet. She then brought out a shoe for me to try on, but decided to go up a size and brought out two different shoes. She had me put one on each foot and try them out. As soon as I put them on, my feet felt like they were in foot heaven! I knew right away the shoe on my right was the one. I felt ridiculous, but I almost felt like crying because I could already tell the pain wasn’t as bad.
Best of all, I payed less there than I did at Lady Foot Locker. Oh and btw, the shoes from Lady Foot Locker are already falling apart and I bought them less than a month ago and ONLY wear them at the gym.
I will definitely go back to Route 16 for my next pair of gym shoes.

I went to the store midweek to check out their shoe selection and noticed about 4 staff members were on duty. For a relatively small shop, I think this is great staffing; it reduces waiting time.
The owner Miguel was courteous and within a couple of minutes of small talk, he gave me great advice for my first half marathon. I developed a blister problem on my left foot about 2 weeks before the Seattle Half so he suggested some gel pads and the next 2 weeks of training were a breeze. He also gave me some very good shoe buying tips. They have a good selection so I plan to get my next pair there.
I also found out that he was a collegiate runner and won the Seattle Half two years in a row. I’m glad that he’s able to share his experience with running rookies like me.