Ode to Sports Basement

As a marketing girl at heart, I have always been really appreciative of a good shopping/marketing experience.  And, there is one store that leaves me with that "warm and fuzzy" vibe every time I shop -- Sports Basement.  The prices are decent, (although sporting equipment is still pretty pricey even with a discount), and it's just one of those friendly, hip, eco-conscious stores.  As a simple courtesy to their customers, they will take your old running shoes for donations and they have a bin for old electronics they will dispose of for you!  Their gift cards are made out of paper to reduce the use of plastic.  And, the store just *feels* like a basement with all the handmade signs and the USPS mail bins to carry your stuff in (I'm sure that's the point).  


But, what I'm sure most people like about Sports Basement is the shopping parties!  Whether you win one in a contest, or you coordinate a special event at their store, they will offer shopping parties that provide a 20% discount to anyone with the party (there's no limit to what you can use it on).  They also offer parties as fundraisers and provide the discount toward the cause.  Every store has different lounging areas of couches and chairs and some even have community rooms.  But, what's really cool about the parties is they  provide beer, drinks, and food!  And, if you get 50 people to attend one of the parties, you also get a $50 gift card.  


Since I joined Team In Training, my opinion of SB is even higher than it was before.  You can always find a group of people spinning in front of Sports Basement on a Tuesday night at their Walnut Creek and Sunnyvale locations.  We also spin there on the weekends once in awhile.  They let us use their community room for a nutrition clinic and they catered lunch for us.  We've used one of their open space areas to do our core workouts.  And, today, we had a spin/run/core workout at the San Francisco SB and they provided bagels, coffee, and juice for us.  


While I haven't gotten into the whole Kinesio taping thing yet (although I assume my knees will appreciate it at some point), the other day I saw they actually had Team In Training branded Kinesio tape!


I could write for paragraphs about how awesome this store is.  I just think it's refreshing to shop in a store that has that mom and pop feel to it, even though it isn't one.  I also love how Sports Basement has really created a focal point for so many running groups, ski clubs, yoga classes, and TNT teams.  


If you are in the Bay Area and you haven't shopped at Sports Basement yet, I highly recommend it!  If you aren't in the Bay Area, you can always shop online at www.sportsbasement.com! :)