By JILL ANDERSON
Staff writer
NEWBURYPORT — It began for Rick Bayko, 55, by placing one foot in front of the other.
As a teenager, Bayko began running on Newburyport High School’s cross country team with no idea that the sport would lead him to a career.
For the past 23 years, Bayko has operated Yankee Runner, an athletic store dedicated to running in downtown Newburyport on Pleasant Street.
Inside the walls of Yankee Runner is more than just a store filled with running gear, but a store whose specialty to customers is Bayko’s interest and knowledge in the sport.
It isn’t only local customers who notice Yankee Runner. For the past 10 years, the store has ranked on Runner’s World Magazine’s top running stores list.
In many ways, Bayko just knowing the business has made his business.
Through his own trial and error, Bayko said he’s been able to establish a store that works for runners.
But, don’t expect Yankee Runner to sport the glitz and glamour of athletic chain stores or mega-sports retailers popping up throughout the state. Bayko doesn’t stock gimmicks.
A customer won’t step into a machine to figure out the right shoe.
Bayko works like a mechanic for runners. He figures 99 percent of the time he can get a customer fitted in the right sneaker.
“You can put a car on equipment to fix it,” Bayko said. “But, like an old mechanic you can just take apart the distributor to fix it. I’ve seen thousands of feet and I’ve had to treat my own feet too.”
In his store Bayko keeps things simple.
Of course, there are sneakers, running attire, socks and watches — all the basics — but there’s also one on one attention from a marathon runner, who’s placed in the top 20 of the Boston Marathon for four consecutive years.
“Over the years, I’ve figured out the right and wrong things to order,” Bayko said. “A lot of times shoes or clothing gets hyped when it’s new, but usually it’s too expensive. It might get a lot of attention, but it doesn’t sell.”
At 32, Bayko decided to open the store after the running magazine he founded, also dubbed Yankee Runner, went under.
Since there weren’t many running stores outside of the Boston area, Bayko selected Newburyport, where he grew up, to open the store.
Back in the 1980s, Bayko said running was at its all-time peak in popularity.
“There were a few stores geared toward running specifically,” Bayko said. “In the 1980s, it seemed like half the people in Newburyport were running.”
So, Bayko opened up the shop just a few blocks from his current location on Pleasant Street.
Bayko admits he’s had no training in writing or retail.
“This really evolved over time,” Bayko said.
Word of mouth helped the store evolve.
Over the years, Bayko has earned his reputation as a great shoe outfitter — of course, he gets some extra help from area doctors who point patients in the Yankee Runner’s direction.
A customer can visit Bayko and sooner or later he’ll remember the size, the style and the brand without a word from the customer’s mouth.
But, it hasn’t always been easy.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it the first year,” Bayko said. “If I didn’t start in Newburyport, I don’t think it would have been successful.”
Although having high school friends spread the word has helped, some might say it has been Bayko’s dedication and the distance he’ll go for a customer that’s made it a success.
In the past 16 years, Bayko’s only had one week’s vacation — since he can’t afford to hire another employee — anyone that enters the store is going to get one on one attention from him.
Bayko said he doesn’t really mind — working alone and predominantly without vacations — it’s all part of what he loves.
“I get to deal with people who have something in common with me,” Bayko said, adding he never dreads going to work.
Perhaps it all goes back to his training as a runner that’s kept him going.
“It’s a matter of playing the hand you’re dealt,” Bayko said. “I approach running the store the same way I run a marathon. I go through periods where I’m tired, but there’s still eight miles to go and you keep going. Then, by the final miles you get a surge. Sometimes the business is slow, but I figure I’ll stay here, keep going, and things will get better.”