By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM – A new running shoe store is opening downtown soon.

4F Running is opening at 75 Market St. under the ownership of Arthur and Renee Ford of Canton with a soft opening set now for Aug. 18 and a grand opening planned for the first week of September.

They are using a soft opening so they will have a couple of weeks “to work out the kinks, make sure we’ve got all our stock,” Arthur Ford said.

He is retiring from the Army soon after 20 years’ service and he and Renee had been thinking for some time about what they would do then.

His last post has been at Fort Drum, and they moved to Canton after Renee got a job at St. Lawrence University. She’s now working as a project manager at Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

“We live in Canton and we’ve been looking for a way we could stay,” Arthur said. “We love Canton. The schools are great. Everything is really, really great.”

Running has been a part of daily life for Warrant Officer Ford in his military career, and he loves running, “for fitness and as a stress reliever.”

He was dismayed at not being able to find “a good pair of running shoes fitted to you” anywhere nearby.

He was inspired to think more about the opportunity by a session he attended at Paul Smith’s College designed to provide guidance to veterans with entrepreneurship skills, and he had high praise for the session, run by Adirondack Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Jim Murphy.

“Things came together. Everything kind of aligned,” and the Fords decided to give the store a go.

Word of the store got around, and the reaction was good.

“The Public seems to want it. I had a guy hug me, he was so happy” not to have to go to Syracuse or Plattsburgh for quality running shoes.

With fulfillment of a final requirement from the village – an OK for their sign – 4F Running is a reality. “The sign is up.”

There are still renovations to be done inside the building, and shoes and other related items to be ordered, shelved and displayed.

The Fords will do most of the work at the store, along with weekend help from their son.

Arthur said the plan does include part-time hired help in the future.