Things are moving at Park Road.

If you’ve walked by the new Charlotte Running Company location lately, you’ve probably noticed that it doesn’t look much like a running store yet.

That’s because right now we’re still in the tear-it-apart-before-we-put-it-back-together stage.

Over the past few weeks, a lot of the old Caribou Coffee and Bruegger’s spaces have been stripped out. Walls, ceilings, flooring, old equipment, electrical and years of stuff that needed to go are coming out. It’s messy, dusty and honestly pretty cool to watch.

For the first time, we’re really starting to see the two spaces become one storeand get a sense of just how different this CRC is going to be.

There’s still a ton of work ahead, but every time we walk through the space, it gets a little easier to see what we’ve been envisioning — the running store, the shoe wall, the recovery area, the gathering spaces, and one part of the project we’re especially excited about…

Final Kick Coffee.

From the beginning, we knew that if we were going to put a coffee shop inside Charlotte Running Company, we wanted to do it right. We didn’t want to stick an espresso machine on a counter and suddenly call ourselves a coffee shop.

We also knew enough to know that we’re running people, not coffee people.

So we went looking for people who are.

That led us to Night Swim Coffee.

For those who may not know Night Swim, they’re a Charlotte-based specialty coffee roaster created by the teams behind Not Just Coffee and Undercurrent Coffee. Miracle and James Yoder of Not Just Coffee joined forces with Erin and Todd Huber of Undercurrent to create Night Swim, bringing together two groups that have been a big part of Charlotte’s specialty coffee culture. Today, Night Swim roasts its coffee right here in Charlotte and operates cafés throughout the city. 

And they’ve become a major part of helping us build Final Kick Coffee.

Their involvement has gone far beyond simply agreeing to sell us beans.

The Night Swim team has helped us select and purchase equipment, think through the design and functionality of the bar, understand workflow and, probably most importantly, avoid a lot of the mistakes we could easily make opening our first coffee shop.

As we get closer to opening, they’ll also help us train our employees so that the people working behind the Final Kick bar understand how to properly prepare and serve the coffee.

And yes — Final Kick Coffee will proudly serve coffee roasted locally by Night Swim.

That partnership is important to us.

Charlotte Running Company has always been about more than selling running shoes. The goal with this new location is to create a place where the running community actually wants to spend time — before a run, after a run or even when they’re not running at all.

We think coffee is going to be a big part of that.

There’s still a long way to go.

Right now, as you can see from the pictures, it looks a little more like a demolition site than the vision we’ve had in our heads for the past several months.

But underneath all the dust, exposed ductwork, hanging wires and torn-up floors, it’s starting to happen.

A running store.

A coffee shop.

A pub.

A recovery space.

And most importantly, a gathering place for Charlotte’s running community.

All under one roof.

Every week another piece starts to take shape. We can’t wait to show you what’s next.

Stay Tuned!

-Scott Dvorak

Founder

Small Steps Create Big Shifts

Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome. Every time you take action despite self-doubt, you reinforce the belief that you’re capable. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about trusting that you can figure it out along the way.

The key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but momentum builds through small, consistent action. Whether you’re working toward a personal milestone or a professional dream, progress comes from showing up — not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real.

You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals, you just need to be willing. Willing to try, willing to learn, and willing to believe that you’re capable of more than you know. The road may not always be smooth, but growth rarely is. What matters most is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in the version of yourself you’re becoming.

Turn Intention Into Action

Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome. Every time you take action despite self-doubt, you reinforce the belief that you’re capable. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about trusting that you can figure it out along the way.

The key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but momentum builds through small, consistent action. Whether you’re working toward a personal milestone or a professional dream, progress comes from showing up — not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real.

You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals, you just need to be willing. Willing to try, willing to learn, and willing to believe that you’re capable of more than you know. The road may not always be smooth, but growth rarely is. What matters most is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in the version of yourself you’re becoming.

Make Room for Growth

Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome. Every time you take action despite self-doubt, you reinforce the belief that you’re capable. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about trusting that you can figure it out along the way.

The key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but momentum builds through small, consistent action. Whether you’re working toward a personal milestone or a professional dream, progress comes from showing up — not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real.

You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals, you just need to be willing. Willing to try, willing to learn, and willing to believe that you’re capable of more than you know. The road may not always be smooth, but growth rarely is. What matters most is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in the version of yourself you’re becoming.