Village Runner

I’ve been getting my running shoes from these guys since I was in high school (it’s been a while…). They’re great. All the salespeople are runners and know what they’re talking about. It’s truly a running store for runners.

gotta love the ‘mom and pop shops’, and the village runner is one of em.
every person who works there is so super knowledgable about their shoe inventory. they can also evaluate how you walk/​jog/​run to help you choose which shoe is right for you.
recently, my sneakers mysteriously disappeared from our front deck (?!), so i had to unexpectedly replace my shoes. lucky for me, they were having a sidewalk sale. i scored a pair of saucony runners for $ 69. SUCH a deal!
V.R. also sponsors 5K/​10K races which are so fun and include great courses. plus, not only are your registration dollars going to a good cause, but you’ll get a great tee.
in a nutshell, V.R. offers personable service, great selection, and invaluable knowledge you don’t get at a ‘big box’ store.

Love this place! Great customer service and great prices!

The sales guys are young but they know the products well. They are all runners so they know the sport and they come across as welcoming and honest. Purchasing my first set of running equipment from them, was a good experience.

Can’t miss with Village Runner. I’ve been coming here since high school, and my dad shops here as well. They might not have 40 brands of shoes on sale like bigger stores, but they sell what works and what’s more important — they know what they’re doing. When you walk in the store, you’re approached by *runners*, not some high school student working the shoe department at a sports shop. They take time looking at your gait, the pronation of your feet, etc. The clothing and gear they sell is also top notch.
They also have races in town that are awesome and well organized — you can sign up right in the store. I prefer to support local businesses and events, and the Village Runner is the only way to go for running needs.

Came here after experiencing poor service at Road Runner Sports. The guy at that place didn’t even look at my feet or how I walked and recommended shoes without having any idea of what would work with my feet. I saw the great reviews for Village Runner so gave it a try. The guy working there (a manager) was so helpful and friendly. Most importantly, he provided excellent customer service. He had me take off my shoes so he could see how I walk and what shoe would be the best fit for me. He had me try a couple of pairs and run outside with them. When I picked the one I wanted, they were out of the color I liked so he called the Manhattan Beach store and had them hold a pair for me. A very satisfying experience, and now they have another loyal customer. Goodbye Road Runner, hello Village Runner!

Seriously the best place in the area for runners.
— Shoes
— Gear
— Clothes
You can sign up for a lot of races, events here… the staff is super, super nice (and is so at both Village Runner locations). They have a very comprehensive selection of running shoes, and if they have to, they will special order for you at no additional charge.
Great place to gear up, get advice, and help you get out and run.
ENJOY!

Great prices, great products, great owner, great place!

Awesome knowledge base and customer service. Tony analyzed my feet and running style to find the right running shoes for me. He had me do some test runs with different pairs to assess comfort and support. Very helpful!!!

They know how to fit a foot. The staff is educated and can explain why you would choose one product over another without being to geeky.

Went in to buy a pair of socks … never met anyone who knew as much about running socks as the sales guy. Walked out with 3 pairs of running socks. Generously spirited, super customer focussed. I went because they are local and they support the local schools (Tulita) every year and host a 4^th of July run that’s big. I love that they support our little town. I didn’t expect the fantastic customer focus — next time I need a pair of shoes, I’m coming here. These are good people with good product.

I’m not one for writing reviews but the people at Village Runner are awesome and deserve this long overdue review!
I went in there in mid October for a new pair of running shoes for the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon at the end of the month. Being a complete newb to the sport and basically running this race on a dare, I trained in my gym shoes until my feet started to hurt. So I went in there with those shoes and showed them to Tony and told him what I was up to. He first made me feel like a rock star because of what I was doing and then he got to work. He looked up my current shoes to see what kind of support they were and went from there. He told me that the right shoe would feel like you didn’t even have a shoe on. So he started me out with a pair if Nikes, watched my gate as walked in the store and then told me to go for a run. I came back and he asked how they felt, I said ok… he then put me in a Brooks, I again go run… he asked, way better than the Nike… next were Sauconey, those were like running on air… when I got back from those, he put Asics on me and I was convinced that the Sauconeys were the winner.
The time he spent with me to find the right shoe was priceless. I am a big fan of the all the folks at Village Runner, they have a customer for life now!
Now it’s time to continue my training for the Asics LA marathon in March, with the help from Village Runner.

I went in this store looking to buy the perfect running shoe to train for the LA Marathon. Upon walking in, two older gentlemen with a tall, runner’s build smiled and welcomed me. I got right to the point, one of them sat me down and examined my shoe and my feet and offered 2 choices. I tried each of them on, he checked the sizing, and then he examined me walking in them and then running outside. One of them felt really good (Saucony Omni 12) but it was $ 120 and out of my price range, but I had mentioned that I was part of Club Ed’s Running Group (a popular running group in the south bay) and he gave me a discount. Was very kind of him to do, and I ended up buying some socks and a bottle kit along with some energy gu’s, and he gave me the gu’s for free. He was also very helpful in giving me some running tips on my form.
I’ve been to the manhattan beach store before two times (bought shoes, shirts, shorts, compressions there) and they were cool there too, but this store was much better because of the service. I like the store layout better too. I’ll def be back when I need to buy new running gear.

Village Runner is THE place to go for runners in the South Bay. The employees are all very knowledgeable runners, and so helpful and friendly! The shoe selection is good, and they can order anything that may not be in stock. Plenty of clothes and all the other paraphernalia that runners need too. They also have all the latest info on area races, running groups and trails to run.

Selection is bare. Prices are just ok.
Person at the cash register was a bit rude.
I recommend you go else where.

True story:
My bum knee took a turn for the worse several weeks ago. It got so bad that sometimes I had to use a cane. When I saw a lady about 90 who had the same cane as mine, it freaked me out. So I bought a super cool hand-​carved old walking stick at Salvation Army, which made me feel a little bit happier.
Meanwhile, I had been wearing worn-​out, beat-​up athletic shoes… so awful that they were a constant source of embarrassment. My reasoning: why buy new shoes when I can’t run any more & can barely even walk?
But one day I finally went to Village Runner for shoes. I even got two pairs, I was on a roll.
First day I wore them my knee felt better. Second day, better still. A week later, pretty darn good & almost normal.
The graphic nightmares about knee replacement surgeries have stopped.
My walking stick is now a wall sculpture.
Yes, I feel foolish. But in a good way.
And wow, what a gorgeous day today for hiking! Got my first sunburn of 2012.

Great place to find shoes that meet your needs. Bob is great and knows his stuff. He took the time to analyze my gait, learn about my running needs and provide a great fitting shoe… and it really wasn’t more expensive than if I had purchased the shoes elsewhere.
Even if you’re not planning to run a marathon any time soon and just want a sneaker that fits well for your evening walks… go here!

This place is amazing!
My husband and I found this place based on Unilocal reviews for Torrance. We went and were greeted at the door immediately. Both of us were told to take our shoes off and walk down the aisle so our walking styles could be identified.
The man working there was soooo nice! My husband was going to wait on his shoes, but he decided to try a bunch on while he was there. The associate was kind and helped pick shoes best designed for our feet. He even stayed a few minutes late because we took a little longer than expected :(
To be brief, this place is great. Tons of shoes to select from. There were plenty of styles made for a lesser shoe budget and customer service here is outstanding! I wish I could get this kind of customer service at most places I go to…
:)

I buy all my running stuff from Village Runner… they’re the best!!! …also they organize the Riviera Village runs (4^th of July, St Patrick’s Day, etc)…check them out!

So I want to become a runner and thought what a better place to go but the Village Runner to see what I need to do.
I know what you are thinking… just run you don’t need Runner’s For Dummies but… actually I do.
So I came in to the store here and the gentleman working there (he may be the owner) offered some advice about a book that would help walk me through running. As I was looking around he was helping a lady buy some running shoes.
What was impressive is that he had her try them on and had her walk to see if she walked well in them. I guess some shoes may be great for one person but depending on how you walk you may need a different type.
I asked him if the shoes I was wearing was proper for running and he looked down and said, «I see you have a high instep so those shoes are the type you should wear» and yes I do have a high instep.
I was impressed especially because he could have lied and insisted I needed to buy a new pair of shoes.