Kirsten Marino is the owner of Slope Sports, a specialty running store on
Seventh Avenue. She will be participating in Buy in Brooklyn’s Snowflake Celebration during the first two Thursdays in December (12/4 & 12/11) by staying open until 10pm and having a HUGE
SALE on running shoes and selected winter running apparel.
Q: When did you open for business and why did you choose Park Slope?
A: Slope Sports will be celebrating its 5th year anniversary this
January. We opened in January 2004.
My husband, Haig and I, both avid runners and
outdoor enthusiasts, lived in Park Slope and noticed the lack of a specialty
running store in the area and saw the need for one.
Slope Sports has since met the needs of the
local running community, by offering customized shoe fittings and technical
performance apparel, specialized customer service, weekly running groups as
well as sponsoring and organizing local races.
Slope Sports Factoid: Slope Sports is truly a family business – Kirsten’s
husband, Haig, frequently works at the store and helps her with purchasing
decisions. Her mother and father, Sandy and Birger Olsen, did the entire
build-out of the store. And, her now-2.5-year-old son, Thor, was literally
raised at the store, taking naps in the dressing room and spending most of his
time here.
Q: Which of the Sustainable
Business Network NYC’s "Top Ten Reasons" to shop locally resonate most
with you & your business?
A: Reason #1 – Significantly more money re-circulates in Brooklyn when purchases are made at
locally owned, rather than nationally owned, businesses. Due to
my full schedule as a mother and small business owner, I actually find it more convenient
to shop locally, on my walk to the store or on the way home.
Whether it’s picking up paper towels or office
supplies for the store, or gifts for friends and relatives, I find that local
businesses not only provide an equally good selection, but they also offer more
interesting and unique items as well as individualized attention.
I also don’t have to deal with the hassle of
crowds or parking found at the nationally-owned big box stores.
Shop Local
Factoid: Locally owned and operated retailers
keep profits in the local economy and support a variety of other local
businesses. They hire local accountants and printers, advertise in local media,
bank with local banks and have the ability to source products
locally. For every $100 dollars spent at a local business, as much as $73 stays
in the local economy, compared to $43 when the same amount is spent at a chain
store. ("Andersonville Study of Retail Economics;"
Civic Economics, October 2004)
"Why Shop Local?" is a communication initiative of the Buy in
Brooklyn team. To learn more about Park Slope’s Buy in Brooklyn campaign, visit
their website at http://www.buyinbrooklyn.com/
The site, with its ever-growing list of participants and partners is updated
regularly.
Interview conducted by Rebeccah Welch