A local sports apparel and equipment shop recently moved to a new downtown location prompting increased visibility and business.

Everyday Athlete, now located at 264 Central Way, originally opened in 2004 in Juanita when three friends joined together to form the business.

“The friends and I — we had worked together previously for 8 years — all dreamed of opening a store,” said Len Fedore, one of the founders. “We enjoyed and were passionate about the specialty running and walking business and thought the Kirkland/Juanita would be a good location for a store.”

According to Fedore, a desire for more visibility prompted the location change.

“That encompasses the simple, of more potential customers gained from more foot traffic. To the broader aspect of more people knowing where and what we are.”

Everyday Athlete sells numerous types of athletic apparel and accessories with a focus on running gear.

“Beyond providing the gear, we always hope to be a motivating influence for people to be active.”

The business also partners with local organization Redeeming Soles to bring proper footwear to underprivileged communities. They accept all shoe donations and provide a $10 voucher towards a new shoe purchase.

Everyday Athlete has seen an increase in sales since its move two months ago. While retaining numerous old customers, the business has gained new customers as well.

“Our old customers seem to be happy that we have found a new home, and the new customers are happy that we have moved to the downtown area as they never made it up to Juanita. This is what we are hoping for, to retain our established customer base and build on it.”

The move was an overall success, but Fedore added that there were a few challenges during the transition.

“We had a few technical mishaps, a major self-inflicted one was dropping our main computer during the move,” Fedore said. “We were out of commission with our regular Point-of-Sale system, but customers were patient and we worked through the problems.”

Additionally, Fedore said that they’ve still had trouble in advertising the move and maintain a sign at the old location, notifying customers of the new location.

Everyday Athlete has seen an outpouring of support from the community over the years, including schools, coaches, the medical community, gyms, trainers and the city of Kirkland.

The business has also been involved with many running and walking events in Kirkland, including the Shamrock 5k, the Kirkland Mother’s Day Half Marathon, and the 12ks of Christmas.

“Having this kind of report has been good for business, and great for making relationships with members of the community we service,” Fedore said.

Everyday Athlete’s new location is at 264 Central Way. Photos courtesy of Everyday Athlete