Juiced Up and Ready to Run

Long before Barnes & Noble joined forces with Starbucks to make shopping and espresso-sipping a symbiotic activity, the Sport Shoe--a small athletic gear and cobbler shop in Atwater Village--added a coffee and juice bar to its fledgling business.

For more than 15 years, the store has simultaneously served up fruit juices and helped customers try on shoes, brewing coffee just a quick leap away from the repair counter.

“After they buy shoes, our customers will pick up a muffin or a coffee on the way out,” says Steve Broten, one of the store’s managers, while grinding beans for the morning rush.

Located across the street from the Los Feliz Municipal Golf Course, the petite boutique, which specializes in repairing police officers’ boots and resoling running shoes, has a Jim Fixx feel to it.

Except for the cafe. Are the two businesses at all incongruous?

“No,” Broten balks.

Still, it’s a little disconcerting to visit a shoe repair store with an A rating from the Los Angeles Health Department.