Known Your Neighbor: Rich Wills of FITniche in Hyde Park Village

He's donated shoes to athletes competing in the Special Olympics, sponsored Wine & Chocolate Runs and raised money after the Boston Marathon tragedy.

We recently talked to Rich Wills, owner of FITniche in Hyde Park Village, about the South Tampa running community and what he offers at his store, 722 S. Village Circle.

Tell us about FITniche. "We are a specialty running and fitness store. We sell shoes and apparel, and accessories. Shoes are the core of our business. We do a thorough and intense fitting process. All the better shoes on the market are engineered for different biomechanics of gaits."

On his clientele: "The core of our customer base are women and men in their 30's to mid 50's. They are in training for life rather than a particular event. Many of them, if they are doing an event, they are getting ready for a half marathon as a challenge and haven’t done anything like that before."

On the Wine & Chocolate Run: "We go for an easy 5K run, and people can go a little further or shorter. It's very low key. Afterwards, we have a couple bottles of wine in the store and go to Ashworth Chocolate, and they pass out truffles, fudge and chocolates. It's every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. It's been well received."

The resurgence of businesses in Hyde Park Village:  "Its on a bit of an ascendence. It's rising. The major anchors such as Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn and those folks have helped that."

Have you been to FITniche? What other businesses do you want to see in Hyde Park Village? Tell us in the comments.