Meet Your Merchant: The right fit for outdoor activities

From bras to bikes to running shoes, CV Sports has a wide selection of all kinds of gear and the employees there will help you find the perfect fit.

"Customer service is key for us," said owner Robyn Bond. "I think that's what kept us alive since we opened right when the economy took a dive."

A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Bond opened the Topsy Lane store in 2008, which offers everything from sports apparel to the equipment needed for almost any outdoor activity as well as nutritional supplements.

The store rents skis and snowboards during the winter and kayaks during the summer.

"We just want to be your local, around-the-corner, go-to store," Bond said. "We have things you can't find anywhere else."

Bond said employees will guide the novice athlete through the process of finding the right clothing and supplies.

"We're an elite running store," she explained. "We'll measure your foot and do a gait analysis. We'll put you in the right shoe."

She said she also does bra fittings to help women find the right fit and level of support needed.

Experts also will find what they need, said general manager Richard Norris.

"When you come in, it's not amateurs you're talking to. It's people who are doing the sport at a high level," he said. "It makes a huge difference when you're talking to someone who actually uses the equipment."

Norris came to CV Sports after working 12 years in big-box, sporting-good stores. He said the relationships that can be built we customers at the smaller store makes it much better atmosphere.

"We live here. We work here. We play here," he said. "We go running with our customers. We cycle with our customers. After you buy something here we want you to come back and tell us about what you did with it."

Bond said the store employs local youth and sponsors local athletes, from baseball teams to competitive snowboarders.

A local skateboard team holds weekly tryouts in front of the store and members get discounts. The store also participates with local fitness groups, offering discounts and special shopping nights.

It is often the packet pick-up for local races, including the upcoming Firecracker Run sponsored by the Tahoe Mountain Milers and Sagebrush Stompers on July 2.

When she first opened the store, Bond said, she continued working as a dental hygienist to ensure a steady income. But as the demands of the store grew, she committed herself to it full-time.

She hasn't regretted the decision.

"It's a giant playground in here," she said. "If you've got to come to work every day, you should love it. And I do."