A Customer for Life

By: Gwen Leron

“A Customer for Life” is the motto of the specialty walking and running shop The Runner’s Den in Port Moody, British Columbia. But how do you keep a customer for life? Paul Slaymaker, owner of the Runner’s Den, has a pretty good idea.

Raised in Vancouver, Slaymaker’s love for running started in high school and though a basketball scholarship in the USA got him through school, running was always his first love. After school ended, he moved back to Vancouver which at the time was becoming a hotbed for running events. He continued his passion for running by participating in races whenever he could, including the prestigious 100K world championships in France in 1999. But thoughts of turning his passion into a business were always on his mind: “I always knew a running shop was around the corner.”

Being able to offer the latest trends and technologies from the running world in his store is of importance to Slaymaker, but when dealing with his customers, he likes to drive home the message that it is not all about the shoe, but about the entire package of knowledge they take away from their visit. “Part of why I love what I do comes from the joy of sharing my knowledge. It’s about making connections with each customer,” he says. And since The Runner’s Den will celebrate its 11th year in business this year, Slaymaker is doing something right.

To keep his specialty store special, Slaymaker keeps on top of all the current trends in the market and he makes sure he passes them along to the customer through the store. He is pleased to carry the Mizuno line in his store because of their high quality products and the fine attention to detail that goes into each item. Both he and his customers appreciate the fact that Mizuno shoes are so customizable down to the width of the shoe. “I see Mizuno as a leader with cutting edge materials and technology,” says Slaymaker.

Giving back to the community is also an important aspect to Slaymaker’s business. To date, over $50,000 has been raised through The Runner’s Den for the Eagle Ridge Hospital, a local non- funded facility. “If something were to happen to our son it’s where we’d have to go,” says Slaymaker. “They need our support and the community has been super supportive.”

The Runner’s Den offers several walking and running clinics that have become so popular, they’ve had to cap the number of participants, resulting in regular sell outs. “We like to keep the clinics small so we can spend personalized time with each participant”, says Slaymaker. “The motto of our clinics is ‘No one runs alone.’”

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The Runner’s Den
239 Newport Drive
Port Moody BC V3H 5C9
Website: http://www.runnersden.ca
Twitter: @therunnersden