Whenever we go back to Ohio for visits, I always make sure to stop in at Vertical Runner, the running store in Wooster. I did the same when we were there over the holidays and bought myself a new pair of running shoes.

It was the last pair I’d buy in Vertical Runner’s original store, as they’re moving to a bigger facility, one that is also a historical Downtown Wooster building that has been beautifully restored.

One of the best parts of our trip home was getting to see the inside of the new building, which will open tomorrow. Another great thing was getting to read The Daily Record’s story on the new store, written by Tami Mosser. That story ran on Sunday, December 30, and I was lucky enough to read it before we drove back to Connecticut.

One thing the story mentions is how Brian and Tammy Polen have not just built a successful business, but they’ve also built an amazing community of runners and walkers. This community and this store is really one of the biggest things I miss since I moved to Connecticut.

We have running stores here on Fairfield County, but none of them have built the community that Vertical Runner has. None of them have developed an atmosphere where runners of all speed just want to hang out together. I miss that more than anything.

And even though I live more than 530 miles away from the store, it is still the only place I will buy running shoes from.

Congrats to Brian and Tammy and the entire running community on the new store, and thanks to Tami and The Daily Record for having that great story in Sunday’s paper.