Ken Combs Running Store
Ken Combs Running Store is a specialty run/walk retailer in Louisville, Kentucky, selling curated footwear, apparel, orthotics, and nutrition from major brands, and offering custom fitting via temperature-based arch profiling and gait analysis to runners, walkers, and triathletes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ken Combs Running Store does
Ken Combs Running Store is a privately held specialty retailer operating a single brick-and-mortar store in the St. Matthews neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, complemented by a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront. Founded in November 1980 by Ken and Sylvia Combs, the business has operated continuously for over 40 years under successive private ownerships, transitioning to Larry Holt in 1991 and to current owner Matt Muller in 2023. The store serves runners, walkers, and triathletes in the Louisville metro area.
The company's core offering is a curated assortment of running footwear (from Altra, Asics, Brooks, Hoka, Mizuno, New Balance, Saucony, Topo, and Birkenstock), complemented by apparel, orthotics, compression and recovery products, nutrition, and accessories, plus a proprietary WE RUN LOU apparel line. Its key technical differentiator is a custom fitting service built around temperature-based arch profiling technology, staff-led gait analysis (assessing knee alignment and pronation/supination patterns), and proper foot measurement for length and width. The store does not sell any software products, maintain a mobile app, or expose an API.
The business model is straightforward omnichannel retail: one-time product sales across physical and online channels, with the fitting service functioning as a free-value-add that drives conversion rather than a separately billed offering. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the store runs a 30-day return policy and sells gift cards. No institutional funding, debt instruments, or parent company are disclosed, and the company operates without a public listing.
Ken Combs Running Store firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ken Combs Running Store
- Legal name
- Ken Combs Running Store
- Website
- https://kencombsrunningstore.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ken Combs Running Store is a specialty run/walk retailer in Louisville, Kentucky, selling curated footwear, apparel, orthotics, and nutrition from major brands, and offering custom fitting via temperature-based arch profiling and gait analysis to runners, walkers, and triathletes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ken Combs Running Store industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Running Footwear Retail
- NAICS
- Shoe Retailers (4582)
- SIC
- Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Performance Running Specialty Retail (CRAMACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Performance Footwear (Running, Training, Court) (CRAAAEAI), Trail Running & Outdoor Performance Accessories Retail (CRAMAAAH)
Keywords
Where Ken Combs Running Store is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ken Combs Running Store business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Running Shoes and Footwear: Primary revenue stream from selling running shoes from major brands including Altra, Asics, Brooks, Hoka, Mizuno, New Balance, Saucony, and Topo. Also includes walking shoes and trail running shoes.
- Apparel and Accessories: Sales of running apparel including shorts, pants, leggings, cold weather gear, jackets, vests, and racing apparel. Also includes socks, hats, hydration packs, and other accessories.
- Orthotics and Support Products: Sale of arch supports, metatarsal pads, cushioned support, heel cups, heel braces, and custom orthotics from brands including Currex, Kneed, Powerstep, Spenco, Superfeet, and Tuli's.
- Nutrition and Hydration: Sale of running nutrition products including GU, Huma, Clif, Hammer, Honey Stinger, Jelly Belly, Skratch, Tailwind, and Spring Energy, as well as hydration and recovery products.
- Compression and Recovery: Sale of compression socks, calf sleeves, plantar fasciitis socks, ankle braces, knee braces, quad sleeves, recovery slides, massage rollers, and foam rollers from CEP, Hoka, and Pro Tec.
- Online E-commerce Sales: Digital commerce platform allowing customers to purchase products online for home delivery or in-store pickup.
- Gift Cards: Digital and physical gift cards available for purchase, redeemable online or in-store.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | No public pricing tiers - quote-based/in-store pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ken Combs Running Store product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ken Combs Running Store is a specialty brick-and-mortar and online retailer selling running, walking, and trail footwear from major brands (Altra, Asics, Brooks, Hoka, Mizuno, New Balance, Saucony, Topo, Birkenstock) along with orthotics, compression and recovery products, apparel, nutrition/hydration, and accessories. The store differentiates through a custom-fit process that uses temperature-based arch profiling technology, gait analysis (knee alignment and walking observation), and precise foot measurement to match customers with shoes and insoles.
Product overview
Ken Combs Running Store is a specialty run/walk retail store offering a curated selection of running footwear, apparel, orthotics, compression and recovery products, nutrition, and accessories. The store operates both as a brick-and-mortar location in Louisville's St. Matthews area and as an e-commerce platform. Their product portfolio centers on running shoes from major brands (Altra, Asics, Brooks, Hoka, New Balance, Saucony, Topo, Mizuno, Birkenstock) and complementary apparel, along with proprietary WE RUN LOU branded merchandise. The store differentiates through personalized fitting services that include arch analysis, gait analysis, and foot measurement. Additional services include run coaching referrals, local trail guides, and a community events calendar.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WE RUN LOU: Local apparel line sold at the store - soft, moisture-wicking clothing merchandise featuring the local Louisville running community branding.
Products and services
- Running Shoes Footwear including neutral, stability, motion control, speed, cross trainer, trail, walking, cross country/track spikes, and court/pickleball shoes from brands including Altra, Asics, Birkenstock, Brooks, Hoka, Mizuno, New Balance, Saucony, and Topo.
- Apparel
- Orthotics
- Compression & Recovery Products
- Nutrition & Hydration
- Accessories
- WE RUN LOU Apparel Line
- Custom Shoe Fitting Services
- Digital Gift Cards
- Online Shopping
Quantifiable outcome
- Custom fitting experience tailored to individual arch profile, gait pattern, and foot dimensions
Companies that use Ken Combs Running Store
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ken Combs Running Store technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Ken Combs Running Store partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ken Combs Running Store competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fleet Feet: Largest specialty running retail chain in the U.S. with hundreds of franchise locations. Directly comparable in product mix (premium running brands), fitting services, community event sponsorship, and apparel/accessory categories — differing primarily in scale and multi-location footprint.
- JackRabbit: Multi-store specialty running retailer offering curated footwear, apparel, and fitting services across multiple U.S. metros. Comparable business model and customer base to Ken Combs, with broader geographic reach and similar reliance on expert fitting.
- Running Room: Specialty running retailer with stores across North America, focused on running footwear, apparel, and community-led running clinics. Comparable in community-driven GTM, multi-brand assortment, and educational approach to fitting and gait analysis.
- Charm City Run: Baltimore-area specialty running retailer offering curated footwear, gait analysis, and training programs. Comparable community-led model, fitting services, and event sponsorships, though concentrated in a different metro.
- Potomac River Running: Multi-store specialty running retailer in the Mid-Atlantic offering premium running shoes, apparel, and community group runs. Directly comparable in mid-size regional footprint, curated brand assortment, and event-driven GTM motion.
- Roadrunner Sports: Specialty running retailer combining physical stores with a strong direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. Highly comparable to Ken Combs across product categories, fitting expertise, and apparel/nutrition adjacencies, with a larger national footprint.
Others
- Brook Running: Running-focused footwear brand that supplies Ken Combs while also selling directly to consumers online. Represents the supplier-side disintermediation risk — a key vendor that increasingly competes with its own specialty retail partners.
- Hoka: Premium running footwear brand carried by Ken Combs that is rapidly expanding its own DTC and branded retail channels. A key supplier that, like Brooks, increasingly competes with the specialty retailers that built its brand.
Broad incumbents
- REI Co-op: Large outdoor cooperative retailer carrying running shoes, apparel, and gear alongside a much broader outdoor assortment. Comparable in product overlap (running footwear, orthotics, apparel) but operates at far greater scale and offers lower-touch self-service fitting.
- Dick's Sporting Goods: National big-box sporting goods retailer that sells running footwear, apparel, and accessories alongside a broad sporting goods assortment. Competes on price and convenience but lacks the expert fitting and community-anchored positioning of Ken Combs.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ken Combs Running Store social profiles
Digital presenceKen Combs Running Store financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ken Combs Running Store leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Ken Combs Running Store funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ken Combs Running Store M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ken Combs Running Store
What does Ken Combs Running Store do?
Ken Combs Running Store is a specialty brick-and-mortar and online retailer selling running, walking, and trail footwear from major brands (Altra, Asics, Brooks, Hoka, Mizuno, New Balance, Saucony, Topo, Birkenstock) along with orthotics, compression and recovery products, apparel, nutrition/hydration, and accessories. The store differentiates through a custom-fit process that uses temperature-based arch profiling technology, gait analysis (knee alignment and walking observation), and precise foot measurement to match customers with shoes and insoles.
Is Ken Combs Running Store a public or private company?
Ken Combs Running Store is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ken Combs Running Store founded?
Ken Combs Running Store was founded in 1980. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ken Combs Running Store based?
Ken Combs Running Store is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ken Combs Running Store make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Running Shoes and Footwear is the primary driver. The others are apparel and Accessories, orthotics and Support Products, nutrition and Hydration, compression and Recovery, online E-commerce Sales and gift Cards.
Who are Ken Combs Running Store's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fleet Feet, JackRabbit, Running Room, Charm City Run, Potomac River Running and Roadrunner Sports. Others are Brook Running and Hoka. Broad incumbents are REI Co-op and Dick's Sporting Goods.
Does Ken Combs Running Store have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ken Combs Running Store.
What industry is Ken Combs Running Store in?
Ken Combs Running Store's product category is Specialty Running Footwear Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMACAA, Performance Running Specialty Retail, with a secondary code of CRAAAEAI, Performance Footwear (Running, Training, Court). Its NAICS code is 4582 and its SIC code is 5661.