Going feetfirst into Westport’s Run 816

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It seems ridiculous to walk into a running-shoe store and say you aren’t there to buy running shoes, but that’s exactly what I did the first time I visited Run 816 in Westport (304 Westport Road).

“I need new gym shoes,” I told Nick Pigg, who co-owns the four-month-old boutique with his wife, Tracy. “But I hate running.”

I had hoped to find something foot-friendly and comfortable to replace my six-year-old hiking-turned-workout shoes, which have served me well but finally became exhausted after enduring thousands of jumping jacks, lunges and squats.

Nick was prepared for a customer like me, someone who exercises several times a week but has thus far refused to get onboard with the nonstop sweating, swearing and panting that running entails. He offered me a cup of iced coffee — the shop serves cold brew on tap from Waldo’s Second Best Coffee. Then he told me to have a seat and take off my shoes.

I did  hat he said but not before stopping to pet the Piggs’ two friendly shop dogs, who had melted into an adorable cuddle puddle on the couch. Everything about the cozy space, from the pups to the tidy racks of colorful shoes at the back, felt welcoming and efficient — which makes sense because the Piggs know what they’re doing.

Before opening their shop in Westport, the couple owned a similar store in Illinois for six years. When these Kansas City natives returned home, they were surprised to find that most of the running specialty stores were in the suburbs. Midtown was wide-open.

“For us personally, it was important to be located in this area,” Nick told me. “Westport has changed a lot just since we were gone for a few years. I’m in my mid-30s, and I think it’s kind of grown up with people our age. Not that you can’t still go out and have as many beers as you want, but it’s also loaded with a lot of good shops and restaurants.”

Run 816 fits neatly among Westport’s boutiques, with a similar one-on-one approach to customer service. Nick sits down with you, measures your feet and the height of your arch, and captures video of you walking on a treadmill to determine where and how you put pressure on your feet and what’s going on with your gait.

Having compiled my data, Nick narrowed my shoe choices to four contenders: two made by Asics and two by Altra. The latter is a small company in Utah whose founder, Golden Harper, began his quest for better-fitting shoes by cutting up and melting down other shoes in the back of his parents’ shop.

“He started altering other shoes, which probably isn’t legal,” Nick said, laughing. “But in five short years, they’ve become a serious player in running shops.”

After trying on each pair and pacing around the store, I settled on comfortable, eye-catching neon-orange Altras. Nick told me that a good pair of shoes can “make or break” whether someone loves running, and he would know. Nick and Tracy both run marathons, and Run 816 hosts group runs on Wednesdays and Sundays that start and end at the shop and meander through downtown, Brookside or Prairie Village.

Nick also does ultra-marathons — runs of more than 50 miles — but “nothing crazy,” he said. For the record, I definitely think he’s crazy.

“Of course, a guy who owns a running shop would say this, but shoes are seriously important,” Nick said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive pair of shoes. It means the pair that matches up right with someone’s foot. It’s important to pick a shoe based on how it feels.”

To round out the shop’s offerings, Tracy recently opened GUS Boutique in the back room of Run 816. The specialty area, a nice complement to Run 816, offers women’s clothing, jeans, purses and accessories to make a convenient and classy two-stop shop. The best part: Items at both halves of this address are affordable.

“We want to make sure the customer is happy,” Nick said. “If you’re happy, that works out well for everybody. You’ll be comfortable in your shoe, and when you need something else, hopefully you’ll come back to us. That little bit of time you spend on somebody usually pays off.”

Chatting with Nick even convinced me to try taking my new shoes on a run. OK, probably just a jog around the block. But with the right shoes, you never know.