Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Potomac River Running Store

    4.5 (97 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Potomac River Running Store Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Potomac River Running Store

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    James L.

    Once my regular gym closed in April 2020 due to COVID, I began to see the beginnings of the dreaded "Pandemic 15" weight gain. I was stress eating while also spending too much time lounging on the couch binge watching programs on NETFLIX; sitting in front of my computer for hours on end attending ZOOM and MS TEAMS meetings didn't help either. So I pivoted like everyone else, and went back to basics...which in this case meant starting to walk around my neighborhood and nearby parks. At first, it was just for 30-45 minutes at a time until by October 2020, I was walking 7-8 miles/day three days a week. All this mileage of course, meant my old ratty Brooks running shoes were worse for the wear and started causing knee and foot pain. Thankfully, I stopped into Potomac River Running Store last Fall, where I was assisted by folks who are not only knowledgeable, but also take time to listen to assess the best shoes and fit for their customers. I've been a big fan of the Brooks Beasts series of shoes, and have been wearing them for over 15 years. I find Brooks shoes to have the best combination of arch support and comfort for my feet which make putting on the miles doable. I recall at that time that Bronson (I think he's the manager) was very helpful and spent about an hour with me performing an arch analysis on a thermal heat pad device and examining my stride. I stopped by in mid-June 2021 with a female relative since she was not happy with the service and selection when shopping for running shoes at another store, and she was blown away by the experience she received from Olivia. I observed from a distance, but I agreed with my relative's assessment that it is not uncommon for women in particular, to have their requirements not heard or fully understood at big box retailers. Olivia was very patient and brought out about 7-8 pairs of shoes to try and answered all questions with the insights of an actual runner and hiker. Potomac River Running also has a treadmill for customers to simulate walking and running; Nice touch that this place also has a video system set-up to perform a stride analysis, if so desired. There are also accessories such as hydration packs, fitness watches, socks, and shoe inserts. I'm not going lie, the shoes here are not cheap with most starting in the $125 range and going up from there. But having worn cheaper athletic shoes ($45-$80 range), I can also attest that these lower quality shoes will not only degrade faster but can also lead to injuries. I've come to realize that old adage, "you get what you pay for," is more true than most people want to admit. So I'll pay a bit extra for high quality shoes since I view it not as an extravagance but an investment in my health.

    Lyn L.

    I love this place! Prices are comparable to the big box! The difference: personalized service by staff that know what they are selling! I came here for proper walking shoes. I have the staff member by list of foot issues and he quickly came out with an assortment of shoes! The first one was amazing pair of Saucony. I can't believe I had been wearing my clunky hiking shoes for months before realizing that there was another world of comfort walking shoes. After trying in several pair of shoes, I settled on my Saucony. There was a Yelp deal which I purchased and saved $15. The staff is friendly, knowledgable and quick to assess. I definitely recommend to anyone seeking comfort for your feet.

    See all

    10 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 11
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lyn L.
    432
    1195
    5073

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Leo S.
    158
    29
    8

    7 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Bronson L.

    Bronson L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of John M.
    50
    46
    21

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    19 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Merari C.
    55
    25
    169

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Richard has helped me several times get the right shoes and inserts. Great little shop. A real pleasure to visit. No more back pain!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Helen R.

    Helen R.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Doug O.
    4
    13
    38

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mark P.
    9
    55
    14

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kasha W.
    35
    117
    9

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Helen R.

    Helen R.

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of G B.
    1
    11
    0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Randy W.
    47
    166
    0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Potomac River Running Store

    Review Highlights - Potomac River Running Store

    I love Metro Run & Walk because they carry Altras and are always so much fun to chat with about shoes and races.

    Mentioned in 23 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse - Swanky

    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

    3.1(35 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    I don't shop here often but when I do, it's always been a great experience. The staff is very…read morefriendly and helpful. I visited the store yesterday to exchange an online order I had. The manager was very friendly and accommodating. I appreciated everyone helping me with this exchange. They didn't have the same item I wanted but found a similar one. They made the transaction so easy and quick. The store is always kept up and looks very clean. They made some changes and improvements from the last time I was here. They are located across the street from Springfield Mall. They have plenty of free surface parking around the establishment.

    I do really like this location! They are one of the bigger DSWs and it is well stocked and super…read moreclean & tidy, including the bathrooms. I also love that there are a decent amount of guys working at this location and not just all females. My biggest grip relates to the smaller feet girlies who are a size 6.5 or smaller, and I am the smaller. They tend to only stock one pair of smaller sizes, so if you don't get that golden coveted pair, forget it! They do have the option of ordering a pair online for you, or you can go online yourself, IF the have available what you are looking for but you don't know if you are going to like them or how they fit and if you are looking to walk away with shoes in hand then you are SOL. Also, it is disappointing that DSW has changed their clearance section pricing to only 30% off instead of the former 20-60% range. I found several pairs of so called clearance prices "marked down" but they literally had the exact same shoes on the main floor with the normal price the same as the "clearance" price. Scam!

    Photos
    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse - 8/18/25 Socks socks socks

    8/18/25 Socks socks socks

    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse - 5/13/26

    5/13/26

    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse - 11/4/25

    See all

    11/4/25

    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

    3.5(39 reviews)
    6.0 mi
    $$

    Although there are several DSW shoe stores near my home, I keep coming back to this one! The…read moreinventory in stock is one of the largest in the DMV. Also, they are great sales and prices on their clearance items, which is fully stock with shoes that are more in style and in season; not as dated as some stores. I would agree with some of the comments here that at times when I come to the store, the customer service is a hit or miss. There are times when you are greeted as soon as you come through the door and/or someone ask if they may be of assistance. Other times, it can be crickets and the staff here seem to walk around as if they don't want to be bothered. lol. This does not bother me personally, but I can see how others may be offended, especially when you're spending your hard earned coins in this store. A little customer service, goes a long way.Other than this, I have no complaints. Between the huge selection that seems to be ever-changing and well stocked items for males needing larger sizes, this store is the place to shop for me. For males, there is a huge selection of male athletic, hiking/walking shoes, and dress to casual shoes as well. As for the females, there are plenty of shoes, variety of styles, and accessories (bags, belts, clothing, etc). as far as I can see across the floor of the store. You can't go wrong with this place...imho. Of course, I'll be back. And, I recommend For the conscious buying "shoe lover" --as they call it here looking to save a few dollars or buy shoes on the cheap.

    This DSW unfortunately did not have a large selection of shoes and we noticed the prices on some…read morepairs were higher than other DSW locations. We will visit another location or online in the future for a wider selection of products.

    Photos
    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse
    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse - Entrance

    Entrance

    DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

    See all

    Potomac River Running Store - shoes - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...