For this new installment of our holiday shopping series, we spoke on Thursday afternoon to Athletic Shoe Factory owner Alana Fleisch at the store, located at 3 Forest St.
Here’s our interview.
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Alana Fleisch: “These are the Hoka Cliftons. It’s one of the top-selling shoes for us. They are incredibly comfortable, light, very versatile. You can wear them for running or just everyday comfort. The all-white for ladies has been a top seller.” Priced at $155. Photo credit: Michael Dinan
New Canaanite: How is it going so far this holiday shopping season?
Alana Fleisch: It’s a little slower of a start than it has been in previous years, but we’re hoping—because Christmas is falling different than last year—that customers are going to come in and start shopping a lot over this weekend, beginning of next week.
The people who are coming in, what kind of things are they interested in?
Thankfully, we try to cater to just about everybody with gifts. So we cover all ages and genders. Footwear, of course, is a hot item, but we do winter coats, we do a lot of New Canaan logo wear. We carry a lot of Patagonia and a couple of kids’ styles that have been very popular: GOAT USA and also Flow Society. Those brands have been great.
Alana Fleisch: “One of the New Canaan High School students who works here created this hat for New Canaan Football and their success year-after-year, so it has ‘back2back2back’ on there.” Priced at $39. Photo credit: Michael Dinan
Right, you do sell far more than shoes. How do you describe the store to people who maybe haven’t seen it yet or are newer to town?
We are technically a sporting goods store, but I like to think of us as a one-stop shop. So as customers come in and talk about things they’re looking for or brands they like, we try and bring them in so that those who live in New Canaan can shop here and not have to leave the town to go elsewhere or order online. We definitely want to prevent online shopping as much as possible.
We’ve had some changes—not on Forest Street—but some changes to parking recently nearby on Elm and part of South Avenue. What effect, if any, are you seeing from those changes?
Alana Fleisch: “We also carry flannel pajama pants, which we can customize with a New Canaan logo or sport logo of your choosing. They make great stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts, especially for people who live in the town.” Priced at $32. Photo credit: Michael Dinan
I am not sure entirely, but I will say parking in general has always been an issue. Even in our parking lot, we have one reserved spot and oftentimes somebody is parked there and they’re not physically in our store. Parking, I believe, will continue to be a challenge. Hopefully people are creative and can get to where they need to go, and it doesn’t hinder business, especially for the local community.
For people who can’t get that spot here in your lot, I suppose the Locust Avenue Lot is the option you send them to?
It is, but I don’t know how many people actually utilize it. I think they’re looking for more street parking or closer parking to where they’re trying to get to.