Nashville carries a long-running specialty sporting goods trade built around team dealers, running specialists, and family-owned retailers that have served the metro since the late 1970s and early 1980s. The three stores profiled below each operate from fixed Nashville addresses, hold trade relationships with named athletic brands, and supply runners, school athletic departments, and recreational league players across Davidson County. Founding years, current addresses, ownership, and brand relationships were verified against each store’s published material and Tennessee business records before publication.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Team Nashville | NSGA-member run-specialty retailer with 45-year West End tenure, NAIA Marathon champion staff, and authorized rosters from Brooks, Asics, New Balance, Saucony, and Hoka. | Gait-observation footwear fittings, walking shoes, swim and bike accessories for triathletes across Davidson County. |
| Nashville Running Company | NSGA run-specialty independent with race-team affiliation, group-run programming, and PT-screening access on Woodland Street. | Road, trail, hiking, and recreational walking fittings paired with nutrition, hydration, and accessory inventory. |
| Poe's Sporting Goods | NSGA-affiliated general sporting goods retailer with nearly five decades of Bellevue-area trade and NCAA / NFHS / ASTM-compliant team inventory channels. | Team sports, league equipment, and youth-protective gear sourced through BSN and named team-dealer wholesale networks. |
1. Team Nashville: A West End Run Specialty Shop With Four Decades of Fittings #
Team Nashville opened in 1980 and operates from 3205 West End Avenue in the Hillsboro West End area. The run-specialty store handles footwear fittings, walking shoes, biking gear, and swim equipment for athletes across the metro, and the staff page lists manager Terry Coker, a competitive runner of 45-plus years and former NAIA Marathon champion, alongside trainer Robert Eslick, a 21-year coach of runners and triathletes. Eslick worked as a Team in Training coach during the program’s first five years in Nashville, which connected the shop to local endurance fundraising networks early in its history.
The fitting process pairs gait observation with shoe-last selection, and customer accounts describe staff recommending repeat purchases of an already-working shoe model rather than upselling new releases. That approach reflects the running-specialist tier maintained by retailers carrying Brooks, Asics, New Balance, Saucony, and Hoka product lines, where heel-counter geometry, midsole-foam density, and forefoot drop measured in millimeters drive fit decisions over cosmetic refresh cycles.
Fitting Bench and Community Footprint #
The West End store sits within walking distance of Vanderbilt University and draws students, faculty, and the surrounding neighborhood running community. Staff handle road and track training shoes, racing flats, walking shoes for plantar-fascia and overpronation cases, and swim and cycling accessories for triathletes building out a multi-discipline kit. The retailer has held the West End location across more than 35 years of continuous operation, predating most chain entrants in the Nashville running-specialty segment.
Address: 3205 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: (615) 383-0098
Hours: Monday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; closed Sunday
https://www.teamnashvillesports.com/
2. Nashville Running Company: East Nashville’s Independent Run Store #
Nashville Running Company operates from a historic-house storefront at 820 Woodland Street in East Nashville. Owner Lee Wilson started the business in 2011, and the shop bills itself as the original specialty running store of East Nashville, with a sales floor stocked for road runners, trail runners, hikers, and recreational walkers. The brand and product mix covers road shoes for men, women, and youth, trail shoes, hiking boots, Birkenstock footwear, track spikes, apparel, and supporting accessories including socks, watches, gloves, bags, sunglasses, headphones, insoles, and laces.
The fitting program runs alongside physical-therapy screenings, group runs coordinated with local clubs, and a race team affiliation that connects customers with structured training and event participation. Nutrition shelves carry gels, chews, and waffles, and the hydration section stocks drink mixes, bottles, and pack systems for long training runs and ultra-distance events. That combination places the store in the specialty running tier recognized by national associations covering independent run retailers.
Community Programming and Run Calendar #
The Woodland Street location uses its house structure as a meeting point for group runs, with back-alley parking handling weekend turnout. The mission language on the storefront emphasizes inclusion across the experience spectrum, naming first-time participants alongside elite runners as equally valued customers. Group-run programming, race-team membership, and PT-screening access form a service stack that distinguishes the East Nashville shop from general athletic chains in the metro.
Address: 820 Woodland Street, Nashville, TN 37206
Phone: (615) 228-9191
Hours: Monday to Friday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Sunday 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
https://www.nashvillerunning.com/
3. Poe’s Sporting Goods: A 1977 Bellevue-Area Team and General Sporting Goods Spot #
Poe’s Sporting Goods opened in 1977 and operates from 2417 Old Hickory Boulevard in the Bellevue area of Nashville under owner Martin T. Poe Jr. The retailer carries general sporting goods covering team sports inventory, athletic equipment, and apparel for Davidson County customers, and Tennessee business records place it among the longer-running independent sporting goods stores in the Nashville metro, with nearly five decades of continuous trade at the same Old Hickory Boulevard address.
The store sits within a market segment supplied by national wholesalers represented through the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers and the BSN team dealer distribution network, which handle baseball, softball, football, basketball, and soccer inventory for independent retailers serving school and league accounts. Equipment sold at this tier typically meets NCAA and NFHS playing standards on helmets, balls, bats, and protective gear, with ASTM youth-protective-equipment standards covering catcher’s masks, batting helmets, and similar safety items.
Five Decades on Old Hickory Boulevard #
Poe’s holds an extended trade footprint in the Bellevue and West Nashville segment of the metro, where the Old Hickory Boulevard corridor serves the surrounding residential neighborhoods and school zones. Tennessee corporate records list the business as a Tennessee-incorporated entity dating to the late 1970s, and the store is profiled in the Tennessee sporting goods retail directory among Nashville-area independent retailers operating outside the national chain footprint.
Address: 2417 Old Hickory Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37221
Phone: (615) 373-3250
http://poessportinggoods.com/
Choosing Among the Three #
Each store covers a distinct slice of the Nashville sporting goods market. Team Nashville pairs 45 years of West End run-specialty fittings with staff carrying multi-decade competitive and coaching credentials, anchored by named-brand running footwear from the major specialty-tier manufacturers. Nashville Running Company runs an East Nashville independent run shop with group programming, PT screenings, and race-team affiliation built around a historic-house storefront on Woodland Street. Poe’s Sporting Goods delivers a general sporting goods retailer in the Bellevue area with nearly fifty years of continuous Old Hickory Boulevard trade and a stocking pattern aligned with national team-dealer wholesale networks.
Runners and walkers shopping for fitted footwear should plan a fitting appointment during weekday hours, since gait-observation and shoe-last selection take longer than a quick try-on and weekend traffic at specialty shops runs heavier. Buyers stocking out team or league equipment should call ahead on bulk orders, since custom-order helmets, bats, and protective gear ordered through dealer networks carry lead times tied to manufacturer production cycles rather than in-stock retail turnover. All three stores hold fixed Nashville addresses with phone contact for inventory confirmation and fitting reservations.
Selection Methodology #
The three shops above were selected from the broader Nashville sporting goods field using these filters: minimum documented years in continuous Nashville-area business, verifiable trade-body certification, professional credential, or brand authorization on file (NSGA National Sporting Goods Association affiliation, BSN team dealer access, NCAA / NFHS / ASTM-compliant stocking lines, Brooks / Asics / New Balance / Saucony / Hoka run-specialty authorizations), brand-name anchor with verifiable address visible on the shop’s own website, and a published service scope or portfolio that maps to client expectation. National rollups without local lineage, pop-up operators, and businesses without verifiable street address were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: Does the shop carry one-of-a-kind, vintage, or limited-run items?
A: Independent Nashville shops often stock small-batch, one-of-a-kind, or vintage items that may not be restocked once sold. If you have your eye on a specific piece, ask the shop to hold it briefly, take a written commitment, and confirm the shop’s hold policy duration.
Q: Are layaway, financing, or installment payment options available?
A: Some shops accept third-party installment payment platforms at checkout for higher-ticket items; layaway in the traditional sense is less common. Ask about installment availability and any interest or convenience fee that applies, and review the cancellation policy on a layaway or installment plan before committing.
Q: Are any of the three shops paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No firm sponsored placement.
Q: Does the shop host trunk shows, workshops, or community events?
A: Many independent Nashville shops host regular trunk shows, designer meet-and-greets, in-store workshops, and community fundraisers. Ask the shop how to receive event invitations (email list, social account, in-store sign-up), and whether members or repeat customers receive early access.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.