After a 35-year marathon, Arlington Heights running store crosses the finish line

Over the course of 35 years in business in downtown Arlington Heights, Runners High ‘n Tri owner Mark Rouse navigated changes in technology, consumer habits and interests, and economic disruptions such as a recession and pandemic.

You could say, it’s been a marathon.

“Right at the beginning we were handwriting receipts,” Rouse said. “And then the credit card — we were using that knuckle-buster slide machine type thing, to where it’s come now where people can ring up sales just from their watches.”

Maybe the biggest challenge — to any mom-and-pop small business on Main Street USA, really — was competition from the conveniences of e-commerce.

But Rouse’s athletic specialty store was able to find its niche, offering personalized service and fittings to a devoted clientele of high school track stars and adult marathoners, and serving as sponsor and packet pickup site for local races.

“We had to stay really involved and out in front of people’s faces to let them know we were here. There were a lot of challenges, but I think the community really wanted to support a local store. We’re very thankful for the people not only in Arlington Heights, but the whole Northwest suburbs that supported us.”

The store that was a destination for runners across the suburbs came to the finish line last week when Rouse, his wife, Pom, and employee Teresa Ray decided to close up shop at 121 W. Campbell St. and retire.

“We’re thankful for all the support we’ve had,” Rouse said. “It was a good run, and we did it on our terms.”

Rouse and his business partners sold the prominent corner retail space to an investment firm, which plans to move its offices there.

It actually was their second location, after opening up shop in 1990 in a smaller storefront at 7 S. Dunton Ave.

Rouse, a former Ann Arbor, Michigan, police officer, wanted to own his own business and meld that with his interest in running and competing in triathlons. He chose Arlington Heights for its demographics, including a number of running clubs in the area, a busy stop along the Metra line, and a redeveloping downtown that in the early 1990s “showed a lot of promise,” he said.

The community responded positively — “Sales went crazy. It was the heyday. It was the boom time,” he recalls. It led Rouse to expand into the larger location in a new building down the block.

The extra square footage meant more space for inventory: not only shoes, but also swimwear, orthotics, running apparel and accessories that go with running and cross training. Shoes remained the bestseller, though today there are many more running styles, widths and colors to choose from.

“When we first opened, most shoes only had two colors. Now they have anywhere from 10 to 15,” he says.

At one point, the store employed 11 people, including a number of part-time high schoolers working their first jobs. Cross country runners from local middle schools and Northwest Suburban High School District 214 have been a strong customer base, Rouse said.

While Rouse — now in his 70s — is happy to retire, he’s hopeful his customers will find and support other niche running stores in the suburbs.

“Retail in America is changing rapidly,” Rouse said. “And you have to adjust and adapt and survive.”