New Running Store To Open In Westport

WESTPORT, CT — A married couple with a love for running are taking their enthusiasm and zest for living a healthy lifestyle and applying it to running a new business. Running retailer Fleet Feet announced this week the opening of a new 1,200 square-foot location in Westport.

Dave and Lynn Wright will own the location, which is scheduled to open on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 at 10 Sconset Square. (To sign up for Westport breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"The Westport community is a fitness-minded community, making Fleet Feet the perfect addition to the area," Dave Wright said in an email. "We're bring the tools and resources local residents need to live this active lifestyle."

According to a press release, Dave Wright previously worked in retail technology while Lynn Wright spent two decades working for the government. They have been married for 17 years and are both runners. Dave Wright continues to run two to three marathons a year while Lynn Wright runs recreationally.

They have two children and four grandchildren, and have lived throughout New England for their entire lives.

"Dave and Lynn exemplify the qualities of what make people great and successful Fleet Feet owners,” vice president of development for Fleet Feet Robyn Goby said in a release. "They have a passionate commitment to serving, a sense of purpose in terms of bringing running to more people, and a strong entrepreneurial background through prior business and retail experience. We know they will do a lot of good for the Westport running community."

The couple said the hope the store will bring the running community in Westport and beyond together. They plan to create a running club and different initiatives that will encompass what both Fleet Feet and Westport are all about.

"We feel incredibly fortunate to open our own business about something near and dear to our hearts, and Fleet Feet has given us a tremendous opportunity to do just that," Dave Wright said in a release. "Our passion for running extends to creating both more runners, and more opportunities for runners to come together to get the products, programs, and know-how they need. We look forward to bringing all of that to the Westport community for years to come."

According to the couple, the new Westport location will open with Fleet Feet’s exclusive personalized outfitting experience, fit id™, which includes 3D foot scanning. The store will also feature Fleet Feet’s exclusive in-house running shoe brand, Karhu, which last year debuted the first running shoe with a last informed by 100,000 3D foot scans: the Ikoni.

The store will employ up to eight full and part-time positions. Training programs through the Fleet Feet Running Club are scheduled to begin in March, including 5k and 10k programs and regular fun runs. A grand opening celebration will take place later in the spring.

"Running has transformed our lives," Lynn Wright said in an email. "What we eat and how we live are a big part of our efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle. With that, we also have a lot of energy to go out and do what we like, and that has translated directly into the way we have gone about opening Fleet Feet and what we hope to bring to the community."

For further information, check out the store’s website or Facebook page.

Photo credit: RJ Scofield