A large group of people dressed in holiday attire, including Christmas sweaters and Santa hats, posing together inside a retail store decorated for Christmas with wreaths, ornaments, and holiday-themed items.
A large group of people dressed in athletic clothing and winter gear are gathered outside the MN Treads store for a running event. The store has a sign with the Minnesota state outline and the name MN Treads in large letters. There is snow on the ground and a handicapped parking sign in the foreground.
Interior of a retail store with mannequins dressed in activewear, shelves with shoes, clothing racks, and accessories on display.
Group of people posing together in front of a store named 'MN Treads,' with a woman taking a photo of them outside in a parking lot.

our story

  • A young girl with light brown hair and a white dress with yellow and blue stars, sitting on an adult’s lap with an adult holding her hand. The girl has a serious expression, and there is a person in the background wearing a checkered shirt.

    Carolyn

    Treads President, Footwear & Apparel Specialist & has the Imagination to Someday be a Jeopardy Finalist!

  • A young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a dark sweater, looking slightly to the right with a neutral expression.

    BROCK

    Footwear & Apparel Specialist, Aspiring Sous Chef (breakfast only), a Shoe GEEK, and moderately afraid of Bears (but not Chicago Bears because… Come On)!

  • Young girl in pink dress and striped leggings playing near a fire pit outdoors, laughing and smiling.

    Kadence

    Aspiring Footwear & Apparel Specialist & the Swiftiest of Swiftie’s in all the land!

  • A young boy with red hair and blue eyes speaking or reacting to something, with a laundry basket and shelves with food and supplies in the background.

    RIVER

    In-Training Footwear & Apparel Specialist and next Messi hopeful… that often cautions his parents that it simply ain’t happening. 😀

  • A smiling young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a pink and white striped shirt with a panda bear print, in a room filled with toys and furniture.

    Whitley

    The Next Footwear & Apparel Specialist, Aspiring Screen Actors Guild Host, and the Humor of a Ferociously Playful Kitten.

In 2012, Brooks Running created a national grassroots marketing contest. "Submit your idea for an amazing community grassroots event, and you have a chance to win the grand prize for you and your staff."
Well, we had an idea. We created a $5 5K for charity. All proceeds for that week's $5 5K would go to a local charity.

A boat on water at sunset with a red and orange sky and the text 'The rising tides lifts all boats'

By strengthening those in need in our community, we're strengthening our whole community.
Brooks loved the idea, and we won the Grand Prize. Brooks was prepared to give us thousands of dollars for staff to have an amazing trip/party/adventure, whatever we would choose. The problem was... we only had Carolyn, Jeremy and Brock on staff, we had just opened the store in Rochester, and we didn't feel like we deserved such a generous gift. So, we requested all of the money we had won to be in the form of shoe gift certificates, and we gave over 100 certificates (2 certificates per charity), to 50 Rochester charities. Our request: Give 1 pair of shoes to someone working for the organization that continues to go above and beyond, and another pair to someone outside of the organization that is passionate about contributing to the overall success and longevity of the organization.

The same people that created the Grassroots Marketing idea in 2012 are working very hard to make Minnesota Treads a space that’s inviting to everyone! This time, there are a few kids that are intimately involved in the process.


We're excited to be consulting with the next generation of community strengtheners, and we hope to inspire young entrepreneurs to lead with passion, inclusivity and positivity.