New Balance

This is a great athletic shoe store, particularly for runners. They have a machine you stand on that measures the pressure distribution on your feet to help determine what type of shoe would be best for you. Staff seems quite knowledgeable about running shoes and very friendly. Good selection. Store itself is spacious and inviting, a very pleasant environment, there is a TV. (I bought my pair of running shoes on the afternoon of the Boston Marathon bombing, so the news from that was on the TV, which was surreal and somehow especially tragic to be seeing in a running store.) In any case, if in the area I would definitely return to this store to buy more shoes, the staff are great and it was a great shopping experience.

When I enter a retail establishment near/​on the Pitt campus, I generally expect to be ignored and treated like nobody’s business. However, I was pleasantly surprised when, at the New Balance store on Forbes today, I was greeted nicely and provided with prompt shoe-​shopping assistance. I really couldn’t have been happier with the service: the salesperson was friendly and quick, and she even helped my girlfriend save $ 15 – 20 on her pair of shoes.
As for the shoes, I love them. I’ve been wearing New Balance for running/​training shoes for the past six years (I wear Børn for casual shoes), and my new pair of grey trail shoes is light, fits perfectly, and has just the right amount of bounce for urban activity.