When Emily and Keith Davis take a rare quiet moment to reflect on the last two decades as owners of Fleet Feet in Winston-Salem, the emotions are real!
“It’s been 20 years of not taking our foot off the gas,” shares Emily. “That’s the only way small businesses make it. There’s pressure from so many directions – if you look too long at what your competition is doing and let the few negative customers with ridiculous expectations take your focus, you lose sight of the bigger picture.”
Much has changed since 2006 when the couple opened Fleet Feet, and this milestone evokes both professional and personal observations!
“I turned 50 this year, and it’s weird to look back on your life, realizing now you’re the one getting older,” Emily shares. “You’re no longer the youngest person in the room. When we opened Fleet Feet Winston-Salem, we were on the younger side – I was 30 and Keith was 32 – and we were just getting started. Other franchises were older than us, some had prior long-term careers and were opening a store as they transitioned from 20 years of doing something else. We looked up to them because they were wiser, more experienced and had so many stories to tell.”
At the first national conference they attended – before even opening – Emily recalls a more experienced owner warning they would have days with no sales, months with low sales and would have to figure out simply getting by. She wasn’t wrong.
“We had spent two years saving so we had enough money to open our first store, and then took – what at the time felt like – massive loans to open our Reynolda Road location. We had a mortgage, student loans, car payments and wiped out our savings to open the store. Our families thought we were crazy, but we were going for it! We weren’t going to let up until we made it work,” Emily shares.
In 20 years, Emily and Keith have had more than 350 employees, three different locations for the Winston-Salem store, sponsored thousands of local races and trained thousands of people for 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons. They’ve sought marriage counseling to learn how to work together, argue, resolve and maintain a Godly marriage (they celebrated 23 years together in April!) – and had three awesome children. Both realize they’ve somehow become the “older” people in the room – and yes, their combined persistence made it work.
“Fleet Feet is celebrating 50 years as a brand nationally, and when we go to a national conference in May, we’ll be one of those older franchisees. They’ll recognize us for celebrating 20 years – while the newer franchises will be looking at us. I hope what they see first is a marriage that glorifies God, but then I hope they see the commitment it takes to make a small business work,” Emily shares, reflecting on the ups and downs, tears, fights, navigating a pandemic and many, many celebrations!
“There were plenty of days I wondered if we could do it another day, trying to be business partners, then coming home to be spouses and parents at night. It was tough to ‘put away’ all the business stress,” she adds. “But, here we are! I’m so grateful to the Winston-Salem community for circling around our small business and to God for being there every moment.”
Fleet Feet Winston-Salem is located at 278 Harvey Street in Hanestowne Village Shopping Center, 336.722.8477 and at 6339 Jessie Lane in Clemmons, 336.293.8660. Hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @Fleetfeetws.
“While some view retail as a grind, Keith and Emily have spent 20 years building a business that reflects their passion and commitment to community. Not only have they made a lasting impression across the Triad, they’ve helped shape the national Fleet Feet brand by influencing everything from our identity to major initiatives, such as redefining our outfitting process with new technologies and reimagining our training programs. Their story is a testament to being uncommon, staying committed to the work and showing up every day to fight for it.” ~ Joey Pointer, CEO of Fleet Feet Incorporated
“I’ve known Emily and Keith for close to 20 years, and in that time, they have built an incredible business. Their success is built on an authentic connection to their community and an unwavering north star of growing the run community. The specialty run community is a better place because of their commitment and passion.” ~ Dan Sheridan, CEO of Brooks Sports
