Richmond Track Alum Opens "New Balance-Richmond" Store in Short Pump

New Balance-Richmond opened this past weekend

in Short Pump next to Trader Joe's

2009 University of Richmond graduate and standout middle distance runner Jeff Strojny is entering a new chapter in his life…He just opened the New Balance-Richmond store in Short Pump. The UR graduate was the 2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Indoor runner-up in the 1000M and was A-10 Champion as part of the Spider's 2007 Distance Medley Relay.

New Balance-Richmond owner, Jeff Strojny in his racing days for the Spiders.

Their grand opening was held this past weekend (May 8-9). His store is located right next to the Trader Joes and Petsmart in Short Pump.

New Balance-Richmond

Short Pump Station
11341 West Broad Street
Glen Allen, VA 23060

Phone:804.955.4801
Fax: 804.364.7211

Store Hours
Monday - Saturday
10am - 9pm

Sunday
11am - 6pm

I’m an avid fan of New Balance athletic shoes and believe they build one of the finest lines of running shoes on the market. My appreciation of their product goes back to my racing days, when just out of college I signed a contract to run professionally for their company (See poster's below). Lori and I had no money and all I wanted to do was run and race. New Balance provided that opportunity to train, race and travel without the concerns of making mortgage payments…That’s likely why we called our first home the “New Balance House”. And a few weeks ago Luke ran a 1 mile race at his elementary school wearing New Balance shoes his cousin gave him.

Below you will find an article from the Richmond Times Dispatch on Jeff’s New Balance Store.

Stop in and look them up when you are in Richmond...It's a great store and in a great location!

1991 New Balance Poster following our sweep of the 1990 USATF National Marathon Championships in Columbus, Ohio (L-R: Steve Spence, Steve Taylor, Don Janicki, Mark Curp). I ran 2:13:56 for my Marathon debut in wind-chills of 15 degrees...two weeks after 1:02:29 for a 1/2 Marathon in Toronto, Canada...TMK still the fastest ever run in Canada.

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1992 New Balance Poster before the Barcelona Olympic Games of their sponsored athletes

(L-R...alternating Front to Back):

Steve Taylor, Marcus O'Sullivan, Frank O'Mara, Don Norman, Pete Pfitzinger, Keith Brantly, John Tracey, Jim Cooper, Mark Curp, Steve Spence and Don Janicki)

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Biz Buzz: New Balance store is UR grad’s latest project

By Louis Llovio
Richmond Times Dispatch

Published: May 3, 2010

Jeff Strojny is going from running track to running a shoe store.

While the change might seem like a big one, it's really not.

The 2009 University of Richmond grad is manager and part-owner of the new New Balance store in the Short Pump Station shopping center in western Henrico County.

The 2,400-square-foot store was scheduled to open this past Saturday. The official grand opening is this coming Saturday. New Balance specializes in running shoes and apparel.

As a UR student, Strojny was on the school's track team. His father, John, owns NB Retail Management, a Delaware-based company that operates five New Balance stores in the mid-Atlantic, including one in Northern Virginia. Before New Balance, he owned several The Athlete's Foot stores.

After graduating last year, Jeff decided that he wanted to open his own store in Richmond.

"This is what I wanted to do. I remember being 4 or 5 and running around the stores. I grew up as a young curious kid going to the stores," Jeff said.

NB Retail didn't have a store in the area, nor was it considering opening one. But market studies, coupled with identifying a good location, convinced the father that the Richmond area, particularly Short Pump, was a solid market for the company.

Although his father runs the company, family ties weren't enough of a reason to open a new location in a new market. Jeff was a music major with a minor in psychology.

"The first thing I did was make him take a business class," the father said.

The other thing his father did was make Jeff put up 20 percent of his own money. That's the deal NB Retail Management has cut with several of its managers.

Putting up the money and taking an ownership stake give managers added motivation to make sure their stores run well and make money, the father said.

New Balance previously had two stores in the area but closed them.

If this store does well, NB Retail could explore opening other stores in the area.

Both believe that the younger Strojny is ready for the task, though Jeff admits a little trepidation.

"It's kind of nerve-wracking," he said of putting on the final touches and getting ready to open. "But we'll be ready."