Chatting with Spark Running Owner Caitlin Burman

The town of Severna Park is full of local businesses that provide great services for the community.

In order to get a better sense of the owners and managers behind the businesses, Patch is introducing a new column. Severna Park Patch will talk with local business owners about life in Severna Park and how they got their start.

This week Patch spoke with Spark Running owner Caitlin Burman.

Spark Running has been located in Park Plaza for just over a year now and provides shoes, clothes and running accessories. Burman went to college at the University of Miami and at first majored in marine biology. She later changed her major to communications and sports administration, which led to Spark Running.

Severna Park Patch: What is your favorite part about running a business in Severna Park?
Caitlin Burman: It would definitely be the support from the local community and the support from other local merchants. I love being part of the chamber of commerce and exchanging ideas with more experienced business owners there.

Severna Park Patch: How did your business get started, and where did the idea come from?
Burman: The idea came to me in college while I was working in a similar store called FootWorks in Miami. That store had been there for 37 years and I knew I wanted to move back home after college. So I started looking for a running store where I could work and couldn’t find one. So I looked into opening one and six months later we opened.

Severna Park Patch: What’s the biggest challenge Spark Running has overcome?
Burman: A lot of it is still things that we are still dealing with. Being a smaller business we are not able to work with the larger vendors that we would like to work with. However, we make up for that in the level of service we provide and the education the staff and I all have. Our philosophy is a lot more in natural running and minimal style footwear.

Severna Park Patch: What’s unique about your business? Why should customers come?
Burman: The level of knowledge and expertise that the staff here has. They have all gone through a training and vendors all have a training on their website where we can learn about the product and the foot. We can match a shoe type to a customer’s biomechanics.

Severna Park Patch: What’s a typical day like for you?
Burman: There’s not really a typical day—they are all different because we have different customers coming in everyday, which is something I love about the business. I work with fitting customers, receiving new merchandise, restocking the store and, of course, back room work as well.

Severna Park Patch: What other local business do you like to frequent?
Burman: I am at The Big Bean at least once a day and at Freedom Bakery a lot. And I like to do my gift shopping at Side Street Framers and The Cottage.

See Also:

• Chatting with Mutt & Joe Manager Heather Jones
• Chatting with Breakfast Shoppe Owner Kyle Algaze

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