Ann Arbor Running Company’s move from Fourth Ave. to the former Vie Fitness & Spa location on S. Ashley is just one of two big developments for the company. It’s also opened a new store–its third–in the former Tortoise and Hare location in Traver Village.
Co-owner Nick Stanko says they made the move because he wanted a longer lease than the month-to-month arrangement the shop had been working under since 2017.
He zeroed in on Vie’s original home, and luckily missed out on the disruption caused by turning Ashley from a one-way into a two-way street. Although he enjoyed the Kerrytown area, Stanko said he’s equally excited about his new location on downtown’s west side.
“It’s a healthy part of downtown,” he says. “A lot of the businesses here have been established for a long time, and we hope we will be one of them.”
Stanko says the Plymouth Rd. store will allow north siders to keep running without missing a step. “It’s a growing part of town,” he says. “Everybody in Ann Arbor likes shopping within a mile or two if they can.”
Asked if his expanding shoe empire is making him the running store version of Zingerman’s, Stanko laughs. “I’ll take that comparison.”
Ann Arbor Running Company, 209 S. Ashley, (734) 997-5223. 2621 Plymouth Rd. (Traver Village), (734) 623-9640. Both locations open Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. noon-4 p.m. annarborunningcompany.com
