In celebration of the launch of Bandit at the legendary Mill City Running store this week, we spoke to Co-Founder Jeff Metzdorff, who, with his partner Bekah, have turned this specialty store into a pillar of the run community. With their racing team, their attitude to always keep things "weird" and their scrappy, community-focused mentality, Jeff and Bekah have created an incredibly inspiring experience for new and seasoned runners alike. Mill City has been on our vision board from day 1, so we couldn't be more proud to be partnered Jeff & Bekah. Look out for some exciting activations and collaborations in the near future, and in the meantime, let's get to know our newest store partner:

Who are you? What’s your background?

I really fell in love with the sport in my early 20’s. Around that time I started taking my running (probably too) seriously and working at the local run shop, just mainlining anything running related.  

A stint in the corporate world after graduation, hated that, while still moonlighting at the run shop. I was spending most of my free time thinking about breaking away from the office and working in a run shop as a career.

Tell us a little about the origin story of Mill City. Why’d you found it? What did you set out to achieve when you opened the doors more than 10 years ago?

We opened in July 2013. We had 8 shoes on the wall and a few tri-blend tees hung on IKEA fixtures. The early days were lean but it really showed us how critical service and community would be in the future specialty running.  

Our biggest goal was to not go out of business, host a few group runs a week, and get some singlets out at the local road and trail races.  

We were in our late 20’s, with no transferable business knowledge, just being excited when 4 people showed up to one of our group runs. It was a beautiful time.

What do your personal relationships look like to the sport of running and how did that influence the experience you’ve created at Mill City?

I ran at the D3 level and still consider those teammates some of my closest friends in the world.  There’s a deeper connection that’s created over the long runs and workouts that you can’t replicate outside of maybe your family.

What we experience at Mill City is the majority of our community didn’t grow up as competitive runners, but maybe we can create a similar bond by providing these runners a home and some structure. Bring them together, give them a threshold run and a 16 miler and you’ve got the same formula that had me falling in love with the sport.

We created a Race Team that is open to all abilities, from Olympic hopefuls to those looking to finish their first 5K.  The Team is a way we can offer that camaraderie, no matter the pace.  If it’s a track workout, dance party, or potluck, facilitating connections between runners of all paces is our north star.  As we say ‘back supports the front, front supports the back’.

There are maybe a handful of stores in the US that have become recognizable national brands that are respected and known outside of the cities in which they operate. Mill City is certainly on that short list. Why do you think your business has continued to have that staying power and that larger influence on the sport?

Good question.  I guess we try the weird stuff?  The things that are a little obtuse and unexpected from a run shop.  Should we have an old school pep band that plays at races? Yes, let’s support that idea.  Do we need to have our end of the year banquet be an adult Prom? Of course, as long as it’s a good theme.

I read somewhere that all the good ideas are already taken, so it’s worth trying some of the bad ones. I think that’s the unrealized mission statement for the shops.

How would you describe the community you’ve built at Mill City? Who is it for? (Please go into detail on the broader community, but also the performance/racing team as well) 

It’s a community of people who run, walk, and play together.  Minneapolis/St. Paul is so active and we’re just an extension of that.  We’ve been able to provide a spot for Twin Citians to meet up, make friends, and catch a run.

Within the Race Team we’ve got a little bit of everything; walks of life, ages, speeds. It's a unique group in that sense, it’s not not too heavy on any one side of the pace spectrum, a nice bell curve full of good folks who look to push themselves a little bit. 

Some of these are tip of the spear runners.  Winning TSP (shoutout Stallions/Ponies)  or finishing 19th in the Trials (shoutout Gabi), doing incredible high profile stuff that gets a lot of clicks. Less reported on but equally thrilling are the members new to the sport, running their first interval workout or finishing a new distance.  That’s cool shit to be around.

What’s been the biggest challenge operating and growing your brand, having since launched a second location with Saint City Running? 

Making sure we’re connecting with the new runner, both those just entering into the sport and the more experienced runner new to our community.  

Every run we host, we have our radar up for that person walking into our events for the first time. We want them to feel welcomed, provide a lay of the land, and connect them to other runners at their pace.  When there’s a few hundred runners, finding the new face in the crowd gets a lot harder.

That’s what keeps me up at night.  How can we be big but act small?

Being a brand who loves to partner with community-focused specialty shops (and one who recently launched in Mill City!), we’d love to know… what are some of the trends that you’re seeing customers latch on to? Are customer tastes changing? What are you seeing and hearing from your customers in terms of needs and wants?

Customers want fashion and tech. It looks great, but where are the pockets? Is it waterproof? They want the story, why does this piece exist? There are 200 5” shorts on the market, why is this one the BEST? And Super Trainers, that’s now a thing.  It’s a ‘need’ at all paces and abilities where 12 months ago it was just a fun arrow in your quiver.

What has been your proudest moment in your 10 year history? Or at least, something extremely memorable that reinforced your enthusiasm for running the business?

Having 4 of our Race Team members competing at the Marathon Trials was a trip. 

But the coolest part was having 70 or so teammates fly down to support them.  In 2020 I could’ve never imagined having a single person running the Trials under the MCR banner, so to have 4 and an army to support them was a ‘holy shit’ moment.

How have you seen the sport of running change or evolve since you first opened the store?

Competitive running has become a lot cooler because it’s more accessible in the way that it’s not only about BQ’s and OTQ’s. Cool race concepts like Speed Project or Twilight 5000 are celebrating runners of all paces doing hard things.   

I believe every single person on our Race Team is a competitive runner.  They’re out doing workouts and long runs, chasing PR’s, and seeing their accomplishments recognized.   

What’s next for the Mill City brand?

Something weird.

Thanks to Jeff & Bekah! Follow them on instagram: @millcityrunning