From its humble beginnings in March 1998, when Steve Brown opened the doors of Peach City Runners, the store is now changing hands.
“I didn’t know if I would last one month, never mind 18 years,” said Brown. “But here we are going into the 19th year and I’ve finally decided it was time for me to retire. I’m so pleased to have been able to sell the store to Neil, my long suffering store manager.”
In 1999, Neil Macdonald started with Peach City Runners part-time. He is now the mainstay of the store and has spent the last 10 years as general manager. His dedication to the store, the community and the sport of running is a large part of the store’s success.
“Our customers love Neil,” said Brown. “He knows most of them and over the years has gotten to know their individual needs. I often go onto the store floor to ask if I can help and they say ‘that’s OK, I’ll wait for Neil,’ or I get, ‘that’s OK, I’ll wait for the owner.’ It always makes me chuckle but you also realize that a store like ours is about the people. The cool thing now is that Neil is the owner, so they had it right all along.”
In 2005 the store went through its first name change and expansion, becoming Peach City Runners & Nordic Ski. In spring of 2010 the store added kayaks, paddling equipment and an expansion of outdoor gear including stoves, hiking boots, sleep system accessories and backpacks. Due to the expanded lines and number of sports and outdoor activities covered by the store the name had been changed to Peach City Runners and Adventure Sports.
“Two years ago I really started to push to retire and we started on a process of bringing the store back to its’ original roots of being a running and walking store primarily and getting the name back to Peach City Runners. That process was completed last month and Neil and I completed our arrangement on the sale of the store to him. My wife and I couldn’t be happier for Neil, we consider him more like family than a friend and employee. Seventeen years he has been with us. He was the guy that the store should have gone to and we are so pleased he wanted to do this. We both wish him nothing but success and with his commitment to this community he will be here for a long time providing the great service everyone knows him for.”
For more information on products and services offered by Peach City Runners drop by the store at 214 Main St, or visit www.peachcityrunners.com.
