Lively Athletics — Local services in Oak Park

Lively hits every checkbox for a local store and why they are a great place to choose over chain stores or online:

Family owned, customer specific (women's - though now expanded to kids as well!), supportive in the community (sponsors of local events, free community BEER runs), knowledgeable staff, ability to try on different shoes (and test them out on a treadmill), and tons of non-shoe clothing, food, & accessories. My [retracted] year old mother went there to get shoes after her 2nd knee surgery and loves them.

The new kids section is adorable - the fitting process encourages kids to try different shoes and actively use them -- a far cry from the old thumb to make sure there's room to grow and send them out the door...

Awesome, well stocked women's athletic store (and bonus kids shoe store in the back!). Lively is owned by local sisters with a long history in the area, so they really get the challenge women runners face - whether it's the demands of motherhood and exercising at odd hours, the wild weather swings requiring 10,000 layers, or just the struggle to find the perfect post-group run place for a beer. They're limiting guests during covid, the shop feels spacious and safe. And if you don't want to spend time in a shop right now, you can order online for pickup or delivery. This is the charming, essential shop you're thinking of when you think about supporting...

Lively, their staff and the owners have done a great job of adding a unique and amazing store to the Oak Park community. From their fashion shows that benefit local charities, to their kids area and all of the local goodies in between (Marigold Mary Jewelry, Meghan Lee Designs etc.) This is a store that makes it super easy to shop local. The staff is knowledgeable, the clothing and shoes are fashionable and their social media is fun, informative and entertaining to follow! Not only do I look forward to shopping there, so do my kids, which is a pretty hard thing...