Tara Sabo and Beau Deja are on a mission. As managing partners of one of the premier sports running stores in all of Michigan’s Great Southwest, they want you to realize first and foremost that they are right here in the market with everything you might inadvertently be traveling great distances to find, but more importantly they want to go beyond assuring you have the proper fit…they want to literally connect the running community like never before.
That’s why the St. Joseph store formerly known as Taylor’d Running has changed names to Connected Soles. The name change last Monday is driven by Connected Soles’ desire to advance to the next level. Tara and Beau want the store to be more than a running shoe store. They want it to be a local running hub, where runners and walkers alike can meet for advice, for a sense of community, and for high quality running products.
Some people are not aware that the small neighborhood store event exists, and they are traveling to places like Kalamazoo and South Bend to purchase running gear even with Connected Soles right in our own backyard.
Additionally, the co-managers who run the store for the South Shore Health & Racquet Club, want the market to know that while there are many places to buy shoes, Connected Soles brings expert advice to the table on shoes for every mile. The entire staff is well-versed in the products they carry, and they’re not just there to sell you the shoes that they like…they want the shoes to work for you. In fact, they have a treadmill right in the store and invite you to put on the shoes that you select and actually run in them to ensure that they will, indeed, work for you.
Tara and Beau are both Certified Personal Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors at South Shore. On top of those responsibilities, Tara is also the Fitness Director at South Shore and Beau coaches Cross Country and Track at Lakeshore High School. They are highly qualified to outfit the local running community in shoes that fit.
Connected Soles is located at 1501 Niles Avenue in St. Joseph, and they carry top brands like Brooks, Saucony, New Balance, Mizuno, TOPO, and HOKA. They also offer nutritional products for runners like GU and CLIF gels, chews and drink mixes unavailable most other places.
Perhaps the strongest suit for Connected Soles, which will truly help connect the running community with the gear they absolutely want in life, if the store doesn’t have what you are looking for, they will order it for you. Student athletes always get a discount at Connected Soles, and in another further connection to the running community, the store partners with Watermark Brewing Company for monthly Beer Runs, with the last one of the season coming up on October 26th.
Tara pledges you can trust the Connected Soles team, and they look forward to bringing the running community together every day and becoming an integral part of it.
Connected Soles at 1501 Niles Avenue in St. Joseph is open from noon until 6pm every Tuesday through Friday and Saturdays from 10am until 4pm. You can reach them by phone at 269-408-1400 or follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
Shown in the photo accompanying this story at Moody on the Market.com are (from left to right) Connected Soles Staff Members Beau Deja, Hannah Racine, Andy Lake and Tara Sabo.
