Written by Foot Traffic’s Co-owner and COO, Sean Rivers.
Did you know that Foot Traffic is now 15 years old?! We first opened in the Spring of 2001 with our flagship location in NE Portland. With the new Cedar Mill store at 13306 NW Cornell Rd. (basically Beaverton), Foot Traffic now has 4 stores, including: NE Portland at 41st & Fremont, Downtown Portland at SW 3rd and Taylor, and Sellwood on SE 13th and Malden.
Our newest store on Cornell Rd. is only 8 months old and features a full-size chainsaw carving of renowned runner, Kara Goucher. Come in and we’ll take a picture of you with Kara! It also has a wall dedicated to a Hall of Fame for local influential women runners & walkers. Our goal is to induct a new member each year on our anniversary each June. They have free group runs/walks every Monday at 6pm and serve free Deschutes beer out of a tap behind their counter!
Some other fun facts about Foot Traffic:
- In addition to the carving of Kara in our West store, Foot Traffic features an artistic installation in all of our stores, including a 10 foot, one-ton chainsaw carving of Sasquatch in Sellwood, a life-size chainsaw carving of Steve Prefontaine in our Northeast store, and a custom-built, fully-operational rickshaw (the running kind!) in our downtown store that looks like a Roman chariot and has a built-in beer tap and bar off the back!
- Each Foot Traffic also features a beer tap in each one of our stores, each offering a variety of local micro-brews including Lompoc, Breakside, New Belgium, Fort George, and Deschutes (and soon to be more!). Beer is offered free to of-age participants at all of our free weekly group runs and walks, as well as at key special events (and staff meetings!).
- Foot Traffic employees about 20 full and part-time employees, offers medical benefits, retirement benefits, paid sick leave, and beer benefits.
- Foot Traffic is the only local running store to offer low-to-zero-cost All-comer track and cross-country meets for all ages through the spring, summer, and fall. We also offer low-to-zero-cost youth track and cross-country clubs in the spring and fall. Our commitment is to expanding access to the sport, no matter the time and cost.
- Foot Traffic owns and operates three major events in the area: the Hop Hop Half & 5K, the Foot Traffic Flat on Sauvie Island, and the Holiday Half & 5K in December. They also sponsor/supports over 50 local races!
- Foot Traffic’s shoe walls are made out of reclaimed 2×4’s from the Rebuilding Center.
- Foot Traffic donates just under $100,000 each and every YEAR to the local community through our races and donations to charities and schools. We love doing it! Some of our main beneficiaries past and current include: Harper’s Playground, Sauvie Island Fire Department and the Sauvie Island community at-large, The Freshwater Trust, The Fanconi Anemia Research Foundation, St. Vincent de Paul of Portland, and a ton of local schools!
- My wife Emily, and I have 3 young daughters that are already starting to participate in Foot Traffic’s All-comer track meets! He also comes from a family with four older sisters, has two girl dogs, and four hens (Pinky, Stoli-bird, and Sylvie).
- Co-owner David Pietka has three wonderful children and was a competitive long jumper and triple jumper at the University of Oregon, where he received his MBA.