It was my birthday last week and there were two distinct events that made me feel old. Number one was how I felt when I woke up the day after my birthday (horrible, thanks Mike S!) and number two, was how my feet and knees felt after I walked a paltry 5km the day of the Trinity Bellwoods coffee crawl (horrible, thanks old joints). I made Kat take me on the subway (which was horrible) to this store where we met the greatest shoe salesman of all time. I am talking greater than Al Bundy great.
Mike D.
From the moment we crashed through the door like over caffeinated elephants to the moment we left with 2 pairs of shoes, Mike D was bringing stuff out, putting stuff back, measuring our feet, telling us about the Ukrainian food his grandma makes and generally showing us a good time. He knew the ins and outs of the shoes, he knew which ones would be best for my 'casual athletics' (read: walking to various food destinations) and he went back and forth to the stock room 5 or 6 times for us.
I left with a versatile pair of New Balance shoes, the only brand of athletic shoes I have ever owned, and they didn't even require a breaking in period.
I think this will be the only place I ever buy running shoes.