Walk This Way

When customers enter Steve Litschauer's store, he wants them to stay for at least 30 minutes, maybe even an hour.

It's quite an expectation for a guy who sells sneakers.

But Litschauer says the patient, deliberate sell has been a key weapon in a remarkable accomplishment: The running and walking shoe store, Bradenton-based On a Shoestring, thrives in an environment where similar one-outlet, boutique-style athletic footwear stores have turned into dinosaurs. One Gulf Coast competitor, for example, Fit2Run, has gone from one local location to six statewide in recent years. And the big-box competition threat, from Kohl's to Sports Authority, constantly lingers.