The Sweatshop
Olympic gold medalist and founder of the London Marathon, Chris Brasher was ahead of the curve in the late 1970s. He had opened a sports shop a few years earlier, but perhaps anticipating the running boom, it had become focused almost entirely on running gear. The first London Marathon in 1981 was a previously unimagined major event waiting to happen, and it almost single handedly set off the mass participation in running that we’ve long since taken for granted. So having been instrumental in creating the boom via the marathon, when it happened, Brasher’s Sweatshop was ready and waiting to capitalise on it. I discovered the existence of The Sweatshop in 1981 and still recall driving to Teddington and finding this pretty modest sized shop in an otherwise unremarkable suburban shopping parade. Entering it was like walking into Aladin’s cave. I was like a child in a toyshop. Every major running brand name was represented, a huge choice of shoes covered the wall, tons of associated running clothing and equipment that I’d hardly realised existed was all there waiting to be snapped up. Heaven, but for one problem – too much choice, not enough money !
Maybe best of all was that it was very clearly staffed by athletes who knew what they were selling because they were out there every day using it, and were well positioned to give good advice to novice and seasoned runner alike. Whilst being a well stocked and successful retail operation, they had managed to create a relaxed ambience which combined the feel of a shop with the atmosphere of an athletics clubhouse. As it became more and more successful through the eighties and added numerous branches around the country it inevitably lost that “clubhouse” feel in favour of a more corporate branding, but I think that during that first visit back in 1981 a seed had been sown in my mind that this was an environment I wanted to be part of. That seed of an idea lay dormant and only started to develop and take root about five years later when despite having no experience in retail, never having set up or run a business, having no contacts in the sports retail trade, and worst of all having very little money, in fact possessing not one single qualification that would support my doing so, I set out on two years of planning, preparation and groundwork to create my attempt at what I had seen in Teddington those years before !
Next up…..the rise and fall of Up and Running
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