Love Local: Big Peach Ride + Run Marks 20 Years of Helping Atlantans Find Their Stride
06/20/2024
BY BRIAN CARR
For 20 years, Big Peach Running Co. and Big Peach Ride + Run have been helping Atlantans have more fun and get the most out of their fitness routine. The local retail brand has expanded over time and continues to innovate, but its owner remains as committed as ever to fulfilling a mission built on amazing customer service that helps people lead active lives.
We sat down recently with Big Peach founder Mike Cosentino to find out what’s happening at his Midtown store, and how the district’s retail identity can flourish in the years to come.
Running Toward a Dream
From his years of working at a global Fortune 500 company, Mike Cosentino has always been drawn to the art and science of why people shop at certain stores and prefer certain products. His time on the road every week as a solo sales exec meant that team sports were less available.
So he started running.
Before long, Cosentino was competing in marathons almost every month. Then he picked up ultramarathoning. Running became a passion. And at the same time, Cosentino saw a path to business ownership in Atlanta that could pair his enthusiasm for the sport with what he observed to be unfilled market potential.
“Atlanta has always been a great city to be an outdoor enthusiast,” he said. “To be a walker. To be a runner. And we just felt like, man, it's already here. How can we serve it?"
Cosentino opened the first Big Peach Running Company store in 2004 in Atlanta. Over the arc of 20 years in business, Big Peach has grown to 11 brick-and-mortar locations in two states. His creative approach to retail has also introduced Big Peach on Wheels, a mobile retail store that merges together the attributes of a food truck and a hospitality vehicle, and a screenprinting and embroidery unit that makes custom apparel.
Planting the Big Peach Flag in Midtown on ATL’s Signature Street
But as he added more locations around the metro area, Cosentino really wanted an opportunity to align his brand with Peachtree Street, and have an outpost on the same corridor as the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10K road race that has become an Atlanta tradition for generations and draws tens of thousands of runners and spectators annually. Cosentino opened the Big Peach Midtown store in 2012 on Peachtree Street.
At 4,000 square feet of space, the Midtown store is a larger format than most of the other locations. Runners and fitness enthusiasts will find a large selection of shoes and gear. And the team has leveraged the larger sales floor in recent years by introducing a range of e-bikes, commuter bikes and cycling products. But Cosentino keeps his focus on the customer experience, and giving his customers what they’re seeking.
“I think there are three things that set us apart and explain why customers love shopping here,” he said. “First, our mission is not about selling shoes. Our mission is to grow, support, and enhance an active lifestyle. That's it. And Midtown is a great place to do it.”
Winning Formula Starts with Exceptional Customer Service
Cosentino gives high praise to his enthusiastic team working at the Midtown store. Central to the staff’s identity is their passion for serving others, which ranks ahead of their passion for running and cycling. According to Cosentino, the secret to Big Peach’s success has always been about promoting a culture of exceptional customer service and sharing with others.
Big Peach Ride + Run in Midtown also builds community among runners and cyclists as part of the mission to advance active lifestyles. The team hosts weekly events to bring people together for group runs and group rides. There are no strings attached, and no purchase is required to be able to join in these group activities, which take participants to Piedmont Park and around Midtown.
“Retail as an experience and as an industry has been challenged,” Cosentino continued. “We have a guest promise. And we believe more than our inventory and assortment, more than our location, it is our guest service that makes us different. And customers leave saying ‘That was a great retail experience.’”
“We have a three-step Fit Process for footwear for somebody who's not sure what they need,” he said. “We use tech and tools to assess foot shape, how somebody's using the shoes and their gait cycle. And then what we call fit, feel and ride, where people have the chance not only just to try on but to purchase with confidence a product they're going to be fully satisfied with.”
Part of Midtown’s Community Fabric, Eager for a Retail Revolution
With storefront windows looking out on Atlanta’s signature street, Big Peach Ride + Run in Midtown is part of the fabric of the community. Cosentino and his team have been able to participate in community events by opening their doors for everything from the 2020 US Olympic marathon trials to Atlanta Streets Alive events.
“Midtown Alliance has been very supportive of our business,” he said. “They help us get the word out about shopping here and events we host. They have also been a resource because there’s a lot we don’t know about commercial and residential newcomers moving in and how visitation trends are moving. Midtown Alliance knows everything about the area.”
From his corner of Midtown, Cosentino has seen development activity surge over the past decade, with new buildings coming online and new residents and workers out on the sidewalks. But he readily acknowledges that the state of retail in Midtown remains behind the curve.
“We’ve been here over 10 years,” Cosentino said. “I don’t think we’re as far along as I thought we would be on retail choices.”
Cosentino’s assessment is that the balance sheet remains healthy at the Midtown store. But he sees how the cost of doing business in Midtown in some instances can accelerate faster than sales. And he wants to see a retail environment that encourages more experimentation, for everything from new business models and store formats to innovative rental agreements.
“It needs to happen because there's just too much other good stuff going on here,” he said. “People who spend time here want convenience and choice, and right now it doesn’t feel like Midtown can meet all the current demand. I'm happy to tell stories to other businesses about how thrilled we are to be here. Midtown is super cool and we can be part of a retail revolution here."
Big Peach Ride + Run is located at 800 Peachtree Street between 5th and 6th Streets. See what their store in Midtown has to offer at https://www.bigpeachrunningco.com/locations/midtown/.
