Kevin Thomsen started Queen City Running Company in Marquette nearly 10 years ago when he purchased Johnson Sporting Goods from his father and transitioned the business toward running gear. He and co-owner Paige DuBois also have a store in Houghton.

Getting established in Iron Mountain was a long time coming. With customers regularly coming from Iron Mountain to shop at the Marquette store, Thomsen had looked to expand. However, plans to open in Iron Mountain got put on hold due to COVID and when the pandemic ended, the opportunity in Houghton fell into place more quickly.

Securing the site at 426 S. Stephenson Ave. in November led to months of remodeling work. Manager Chad Hause did much of the demolition himself. New flooring and a new dressing room were among the changes made to the space.

Hause said that the downtown location is a good fit for Queen City Running.

QUEEN CITY RUNNING Company is at 426 S. Stephenson Ave. in Iron Mountain. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

“We really felt that the downtown area was attractive — clearly there is a lot of traffic,” Hause said. “There were already some stores here locally that are causing a bit of a resurgence and we felt we wanted to be a part of what is hopefully going to be a kind of renaissance with a bunch of new stores opening and bringing a lot of life into the downtown.”

Queen City Running’s arrival in Iron Mountain created 14 jobs, including hiring some high school students.

Hause is an ultra runner and mountain biker who fell in love with the Upper Peninsula after coming up from Lower Michigan for races. He recently moved to the Iron Mountain area to manage the new Queen City Running store.

Hause said his experience as a runner helps him work with customers. A current trend in running shoes, for example, is thick cushioning.

“It has given me a background into different aspects of shoes, how things feel,” Hause said. “I have dealt with over the course of my career plenty of injuries. People do not realize how important it is to take care of your feet.”

But Queen City Running is not only for runners; in fact, runners only make up about 40% of their business. The other 60% are people who just need a good shoe, he said.

Even before opening in Iron Mountain, Queen City Running Company had a relationship with the Oscar Johnson VA Medical Center and other area health care providers.

Hause said those who work on their feet all day or just want to be comfortable can find what they need: they stock more than 100 different types of shoes. Brands include Topo, Oofo, Brooks, New Balance and Birkenstock.

Queen City Running Company also carries running accessories and apparel. They are the only licensed outlet in the U.P. for lululemon apparel, he said. Queen City Running Company will soon carry Nike shoes and apparel as well.

According to Hause, what separates Queen City Running from other shoe stores is personalized service with customers.

“We really focus on not just selling a product but making sure that when our customers come in that we are fitting them to the correct product,” Hause said. “We want to make sure we are developing a relationship with our customers long-term, not just on a quick transaction basis.”

Queen City Running Company intends to take an active role in supporting area runners.

“The Dickinson County Run Club has been gracious enough to let us be the host site for their Saturday morning runs and work with them to hopefully develop a large community of runners on Saturdays,” Hause said.

Queen City Running Company has reached out to assist with the Lake Antoine Classic run and also hopes to bring some new local races to the area.

In addition to group runs and races, Queen City Running plans to host clinics with podiatrists, sports physiotherapists and nutritionists, with the goal of becoming not only a shoe store but a hub for healthy living, Hause said.

While Queen City Running opened in Iron Mountain quietly in April, the official grand opening will be in June.

Discounts are available for return customers, purchases of multiple pairs, military, health care workers and student athletes.

Queen City Running Company is open seven days a week and with later hours to better accommodate customers. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 906-828-1038 or go online to www.queencityrun.com.