The Athlete’s House

I’m not a «runner», I spend half an hour a day on the treadmill but have never bought a pair of running shoes. I had an old pair of cheap sneakers that worked fine but finally wore out, and my other sneakers made my shins hurt, etc. So I decided I would buy some running shoes, and chose A.H. because of the reviews and because it’s on the way to work. The person who helped me was good, asked me a few questions, watched how I walked, didn’t push expensive shoes, showed me three pairs, two around $ 115, one around $ 88, there were some around $ 150. I bought one of the $ 115 pairs and I (and my feet) are very happy. I don’t know about relative prices but A.H. worked for me.

If you need running shoes please go visit the shoe guru. He asked me to take my shoes off and walk. After that he picked out a pair of shoes for me that I haven’t taken off since. Well, yes I have. I can’t sleep in them can I?

I am blown away by how this place was exactly what I needed. I went on a Saturday afternoon that saw a light drizzle and an overcast. Undeterred, I ventured forth because of this place’s reputation as the go-​to place for buying shoes!
Rachel– I hope she doesn’t mind if I mentioned her name– knows her stuff! She quickly assessed my stride and assembled together a number of shoes for me to try. To the credit of Athlete’s House, they actually had my shoe sizes (14 – 15) in a number of different shoes. Any larger person can attest to how difficult it is to get properly fitted for shoes when stores seldom ever carry your size! I was encouraged to run with the shoes to get a feel for them. My saleswoman was very patient. I’ll gladly recommend this place to my friends.
I only went for shoes, so I can’t attest to anything else in the store other than superb customer service and a wide variety of running shoes for variously sized runners.

Knowledge of staff is WELL worth the extra $ 10 you might shell out for the shoes.
Great local gem.

I’ve been a runner for the last several years, but during that time I’ve never made much of a financial investment in the sport. I’ve been running in the same pair of Brooks shoes that I picked up about four years ago, and I finally decided that I’m serious enough about this as a sport that I wanted to make more of an investment.
I researched several stores online and decided to go to Athlete’s House because I got the impression that I would get great service and guidance through the process of picking out the right running shoe for me. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case at all.
Upon walking into the store around 7pm on a Friday, I saw a young man and woman working. Neither seemed terribly excited to have a customer come in and I had to approach them and awkwardly tell them what I was there for. The young woman that was working helped me from there. She was not at all engaging and didn’t seem to know how to help me at all.
I went to Athlete’s House to ask for help because I don’t know a lot of things about gear, etc. I shouldn’t have to basically ask their employees the few things I do know to get her to help me find a shoe that works. She explained nothing to me, didn’t ask what my running habits are, what my goals are or anything about me as a runner. She also didn’t ask me about brand preferences, comfort preferences or anything like that.
After my own suggestion, she tried to help me find my arch type, understand my foot behavior, etc but she never seemed confident in her answers which by no means helps me feel like she knows what she’s talking about. From there she left me and told me to tell her when I was ready for her to pull some sizes. I barely knew anything more than I did when I walked in and had no confidence in her recommendations.
After she left, I remained confused to the point of eventually leaving the store. I had been very excited to get new shoes, I was ready to make a purchase in the range of $ 150 and I was more than ready to receive all the help I could get. Unfortunately, their staff did nothing to make my experience great or even useful.
I’m sure that not all of their employees are like this and I know other customers have had better experiences, but this was my experience. It was subpar, disappointing, frustrating and honestly anger-​inducing. I’ve never been treated with such apathetic service. I was insulted and made to feel like I shouldn’t even be in the store.
Athlete’s House’s website promises the following experience:
«Our employees have years of experience fitting running shoes and work very hard to fit each customer with the best shoe for their foot structure, stride pattern, and the application for which the shoe will be used. We use various methods to determine the right fit, including examination of foot structure, gait, wear patterns on current shoes, use of orthotics and discussion of running habits. After determining the correct shoe type, we provide as many options as possible for each customer and encourage them to take a ‘test run’ down the sidewalk to see how it feels when in use. «
I was met with nothing of the sort.

This store is not just for runners — if you have terrible feet or wear orthotics — come to this store. It is worth the price for extreme comfort.
My podiatrist was impressed with the quality.
Staff knows their stuff and go right to the product which suits you best. A real pleasure.
By the way for feet from hell — try the Brooks Ariel.

A few years ago, I used to support a marathon training team — and was introduced to the idea of a) having your shoes fitted, and b) wearing great socks. Both are things I still do today.
Athlete’s House was my choice back then for my personal shoes. They have knowledgeable staff, enough inventory to select from, and you don’t have to wait a million years to be helped by a sales person.
I have a hard to fit foot, like a really hard to fit foot. A few years ago the clerk I had spent more than an hour with me trying many, many pairs of shoes… but never once voiced any issue with that and still remained optimistic. We were successful, and those sneakers worked great for me for a long time. And the socks they had me try really, really changed my life. Now I don’t wear any other socks when I have a choice.
The sneakers and socks are not cheap… but once you hit the age where comfort is more important to you than a fashion statement all the time… you’ll understand.
Needed to replace the kicks, so this weekend hubby and I went back here. Since I knew what had worked so well last time, was a pretty easy decision only having to try on two pairs of shoes and done.
While the place isn’t large, they have comfortable enough benches for trying on shoes. Another running store in town only has folding chairs, and while I love those guys, that’s just not comfortable for big girls to be trying on sneakers in a folding chair. It’s a small thing, and certainly won’t apply to everyone, but little things like that are what Unilocal is all about, right?
Since they are a real runner’s store, they will also introduce you to things like bungee shoe laces if you have trouble keeping regular ones tied. Who knew?
And if you have a kid that plays a sport, whatever sport, they have the gear you need. It’s deceptively small from the outside, but trust me, it’s packed to the gills with sneakers, jerseys, lacrosse gear, tennis stuff, you name it.
Unilocal is right, I am a fan.

I don’t know how you don’t like this place.
It’s got a ton of running and soccer stuff in addition to a bunch of other things. It’s relatively small and kind of tucked away, but its a great store that has a lot of inventory. I stumbled onto it years ago before the internet, Unilocal and all those other useful things that Al Gore invented (THANKS AL!!). The staff is helpful and, as everyone has said, knowledgeable. Plus, and this is a HUGE PLUS I think, this isn’t one of those crap chain stores. As you would expect, in general you will pay full retail here, but its the kind of place where you shouldn’t mind paying that. You have to support these little guys!
Now I need to find a place like this in Denver…

After not being able to find my running supplements at a neighboring store, I headed over to The Athlete’s House. This was my first visit there, and I dug it.
The store is a running freaks heaven on earth. They have everything from clothes to shoes, and everything in between. They had what I was looking and they were incredibly nice, so I’ll be back again in the future.

The customer service at The Athlete’s House is excellent. The staff are all extra knowledgeable, and they take the time to make sure you get the right shoes for your sport. I play a lot of basketball and they always have a good selection of shoes in my (large!) size. I occasionally run in 5k races with friends and the owner also supports the running community and the community as a whole. I much prefer to frequent places like this as opposed to the chain stores at the mall.

The Athlete’s House is a Nashville staple that has been in the location off Portland Avenue for almost 4 decades now (just another year and half-​ish to go). The inside of the Athlete’s House is not terribly large, but I am not sure that a runner’s paradise needs to be giganticized like the awful chains (whom we shall not mention here… they’re like Voldemort, you don’t say their name less evil befall you).
The staff is helpful and friendly. And, more importantly, they know their stuff. I am as impressed by their knowledge of runners’ gear as Team Nashville — another locally owned runners’ paradise off West End. The Athelete’s House literally has everything that a casual, a more than casual, and lifetime pro runner could need. They are stocked to the hilt with shoes, shirts, tanks, long sleeve, shorts, and pants. They have men’s, women’s, children’s, and even some maternity for that preggo who just wants to get her power-​walk on. (You go ladies!)
Anyhow, they will fit you well with the right shoe and eagerly help you find the right gear. They lose the star because they seem to just slightly more expensive than Team Nashville (even for duplicate items), and I don’t understand that. I understand not being able to meet a giant chain’s prices where items overlap (which is very few), but I don’t understand not meeting another boutiques pricing.
Oh well, they are still really knowledgable and I highly recommend.

Really nice staff. I was helped immediately, even those who came in after me were at least spoken to or helped right away too. The guy was knowledgeable about the shoes he was selling me, and made sure they were the right fit. Great selection of all kinds of athletic gear. They don’t try to make you buy anyrhing, but will give you guidance in any questions you have. I recommend this store!

Ditto what everyone else has said. This is a great place to buy running shoes and clothes. Great help — they will make sure you get a shoe that fits. Good selection of clothes and accessories too.
In the summer I often plan my longer runs so I pass them half-​way and take advantage of their coolers full of water and gatorade whenever they are open. Just one way they support the local running community.

There are several dedicated «running» only stores in Nashville and The Athlete’s house is one of the better ones. Located right next to Belmont University, it is usually crawling with students and avid running freaks alike. The store has a huge selection of shoes from Nike, Asics, and New Balance, just to name a few. I was really impressed with their selection of New Balance’s because they are the only type of running shoe that I wear. The stores owner, David Graeflin is somewhat of a local hero and ran track for Vanderbilt way back in the day. Like most of the other reviews stated, the store has been around since 1973, that must mean they are doing something right!

If you are a runner this place should definitely be on your list, but if you are any other type of athlete not so much. They have a great variety of runners’ paraphernalia, but as a soccer and rugby player their selection is not that great. I have never really been able to find a pair of top quality cleats there, and I’m not a big fan of their athletic apparel selection. They do, however, have a little bit of everything and it’s the kind of place that you should check out for yourself. The board by the entrance is always full of great info for runners looking to find training groups somewhere in Nashville. For instance, on Tuesday nights they have training run’s for all level runners (6:30pm May — October, and 5:30pm October — April). Also if you are looking to recycle your old shoes, drop them of at The Athlete’s House!

As Robin noted, Athlete’s House is a sporting goods store that has been around for 35 years – pretty impressive. It’s right next to Belmont’s campus, so a lot of student athletes and avid runners/​walkers frequent the place.
While they have a pretty good selection of athletic shoes, Athlete’s House (as you might expect) doesn’t really carry casual or dress shoes. No Vans or Converse, et cetera, but plenty of Adidas, Nike and Reebok cross trainers, basketball shoes and cleats. The staff is really friendly and helpful, and if you enjoy the active life, this is a great place to get some tennis or running shoes at a decent price.

This place has been in business for THIRTY FIVE YEARS. Yes that’s right. In the same place (I’m pretty sure). Anyway, is that enough said? Probably. But, I’ll keep going anyway.
I like Athlete’s House for a variety of reasons:
1) they are right off Belmont Blvd (if you have read any of my other reviews, you know this is in my ‘hood). Belmont is an awesome street. Very runner/​walker/​neighbor/​dog friendly. Also very pretty, it’s tree lined, and all the yards are nicely kept!
2) they are a small, locally owned business, and have been for, again, THIRTY FIVE YEARS. Heck, I’M not even 35!!!
3) The folks in there are great. I’m not much of an athlete, but I’m attempting (that being the key word) to run the Country Music Half Marathon at the end of this month. So I went in today with a ton of questions, and they readily answered them all! They even had a map of the marathon route very handy, and one that I could keep at that! Also, they gave me tips on types of socks to wear, how much water to drink and what to eat the day before, etc. MUCH more than I thought I was going to get when I just went in to browse around.
4) they have water outside the store for anyone who happens to run/​walk/​stroll/​walk on stilts/​whatever by. It’s great! They are truly athlete-​friendly.
These people are obsessed with running. And all sports in general (in particular, I noticed a lot of soccer stuff – notice one of the pics I posted). Which is a good thing. Nashville needs this kind of place – it’s MUCH better than going into one of those chain stores where they hire 16 year-​olds who just want a first job – no, these people hire ACTUAL athletes! Who don’t even pressure you to buy anything, they just want to «talk shop» with you, and are so nice when you have no idea what you are talking about! Trust me… I review from experience!
Anyway…five stars, no doubt. Go to Athlete’s House. Even if you have never done a sporty thing in your life, you will want to after you leave here!