WELLSVILLE, N.Y. — It looks like May will bring more than flowers when retailer Runnings has its grand opening in the Riverwalk Plaza after a soft opening at the end of March.
Last fall, a spokesman for Runnings, headquartered in Marshall, Minn., predicted the new store would open in March. When contacted earlier this week, company spokesperson Lisa Svobodny confirmed that in late March the store will have a soft opening.
A grand opening is scheduled for between May 3-7 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to take place sometime during that week. When Runnings does officially open the hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
“We will be releasing the details when things are nailed down,” Svobodny said.
When asked how she would categorize the store, Svobodny said, “We’re a home, farm, garden and outdoor store. We have a variety of pet supplies and supplies for farm animals and we have a wide variety of clothing and shoes.
“We’re excited to come to the Wellsville area,” she added.
Svobodny explained that the company likes to do soft openings with limited hours to get employees ready for the full opening and to get acquainted with the public they will be serving.
“We need a few weeks to get our feet on the ground,” she said.
Runnings, which has 58 stores with 2,700 employees across eight states, is noted for taking vacant retail stores and renovating them to serve the needs of its new customers. It took over the vacant former Kmart building and started renovations in late 2022.
“We haven’t run into any problems with the renovations to the building. We’re just excited to be part of the Wellsville community,” Svobodny said.
There are currently Runnings stores located in Brockport, Lockport, Jamestown, Canandaigua, Gloversville, Rome, Plattsburg and Watertown. Stores are spread across Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Montana, New York, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
The Runnings website states the company specializes in sporting goods, clothing, footwear, pet supplies, housewares, tools, farm supplies, lawn and garden supplies, toys, and outdoor equipment. Some stores also sell firearms.
According to the website, “The Runnings story begins on December 5th, 1947, when founder Norman ‘Red’ Running opened the first store in downtown Marshall, Minnesota.”
Runnings started as an automotive supply store and was rooted in selling farm and fleet supplies until the late 1980s when additional product lines were added.
In 1988, a group involving Dennis and Adele Reed purchased the company.
