Thoughts While Running #34

on strike.

The store is closed today in response to the nationwide general strike that’s happening. It was a decision I had a hard time making - it was never about the sales but the community. Sales are important (I do run a business) however that’s never been my main focus. It’s always been about the community - building a space that feels inclusive, safe + supportive. It’s weird to shut our door in a time when now, more than ever, it feels like it needs to be open.

Ultimately I decided to close because it was the right thing to do. I debated it with my team but closing aligned most with our values + our community. I’ll still be at the store anyway, so should anyone need anything. While I might be able to afford to close for a day, I cannot afford to not work. A list of orders due by Sunday, deliveries scheduled to arrive that I need for the weekend, graphics to create for upcoming events…the list goes on and unfortunately all are attached to deadlines.

It’s been a stressful week, coming off a fantastic trip that I haven’t really had much time to decompress from or celebrate. The strike was announced on Monday, a sense of urgency + action coming off the weekend’s events in Minneapolis that I needed to also address. It’s been a fine line - deciding how to show up in a way that feels authentic vs performative. So much of what I’ve built comes from a place of immense privilege; including the decision to shut my doors on one of our busiest days of the week.

For me, the store itself is and has always been an act of resistance. Taking up space as an unapologetically feminine presence in an industry unapologetically male. I wanted to build a brand that aligned 100% with my own personal values. I lived through 2020 + the BLM protests working in corporate, watching conversations go nowhere, social media channels remaining frustratingly quiet (or worse, frustratingly polite). In my current position, I can - and plan - on being as loud as possible.

I hope if nothing else, the nationwide general strike makes people more aware of where + how they choose to spend their money. If you’re shopping today at a place that’s open while everyone else is closed, ask why. There are plenty of small businesses who are open; but few who haven’t somehow addressed what’s going on. Many are open because they can’t afford to close, others are open because they service the very communities being targeted. The Targets, the Gaps, the Sports Basements of the world aren’t closing but your small independent bookstore is. Your local running store is. These small businesses are closing because they recognize it’s the right thing to do.

For these businesses closing, losing a day of sales has far more impact. We don’t have multiple locations to balance it out. We don’t have millions in the bank. We aren’t traded publicly on the stock market so if our profits dip it affects no one other than ourselves; adds a bit more stress when we have to pay our bills at the end of the month. If we really want to make an impact, we need to impact businesses who are traded on the stock market. Ones who, when they report negative sales for a quarter, see their stock price plummet and cause others to lose money. Because when billionaires lose money they notice it.

I had someone come into the store a couple weeks ago and awkwardly ask me questions about shoes, while wearing a very inexpensive pair of adidas shoes he openly admitted to buying off amazon. I know this because he told me while commenting on the shoes I stock. He wanted something more supportive, better for running. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or just making small talk, but he was with his dog and said he’d come back at a later date without her to try some options. I have very little faith I’ll see him again, after he made a very poor attempt at a joke that didn’t land about preferring to give his money to me than to Jeff Bezos. There are small brands on Amazon, so we don’t need to demonize the platform, however, we don’t need to rely on it. If you can find those brands at other stores (or purchase directly from the source) it will make a far greater impact.

In the end, I’m proud of my decision. I’m glad we were part of the larger collective who chose to not open today. I’m hopeful that there will be a ripple effect from all this - that today’s event is the start of something larger. I’ve seen a lot of people reiterate the necessity to spend money at all these businesses that are closed today. Spend if you are able - we definitely won’t turn away your business, but spend because you want us to be around for the next five or ten years and you value us as much as we value you.

*k