When Allie and Layney Vincent were 16-years old, Swag Hartel took the twin sisters to breakfast and made an unexpected declaration. “Someday,” Hartel began, “I’d like you girls to own the store.”
The 29-year-old Vincent sisters are now ushering the two-store retail operation into a new era, rebranding the business as Swags to signal its commitment to serving a wider range of customers while simultaneously honoring Hartel’s legacy.
“That we get to carry Swags forward is a real gift,” Layney Vincent says.
A Plan in Motion
The Vincent girls’ relationship with Hartel runs deep. Hartel, a British expat who came to the U.S. five decades ago to run at Western Kentucky University, began serving as the girls’ running coach in their pre-teen years. By 11, the Vincents were volunteering at Swags, largely shadowing Hartel and hustling to get products for customers. At 14, the moment Kentucky law allowed them to become paid employees, the sisters joined the Swags staff.
Throughout their college years – both sisters ran cross-country and track at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee – the Vincents returned to work at Swags during school breaks. Hartel, meanwhile, increasingly pulled them into meetings with vendors and community partners while also entrusting them with some apparel buying.
“[Hartel] always allowed us to discover and figure things out, which strengthened our commitment to Swags,” Allie Vincent says. “We both knew we wanted to sink our teeth into this.”
Adds Layney Vincent, the older sister by nine minutes: “Coming back to Swags was the goal, so we wanted to learn as much as we could.”
After completing college in 2018, the sisters took on management roles at each of Swags’ Louisville locations, largely driving day-to-day operations at the two stores. Last August, they became the store’s majority owners with Hartel settling into retirement.
“It’s a real honor to carry on [Hartel’s] legacy and also exciting to start our own,” Allie Vincent says.
Launching a New Era
In their first big move as owners, the Vincent sisters dropped the “Sport Shoes” from the Swags name last month and unveiled a new black-and-white logo featuring the Swags wordmark.
The Sport Shoes moniker made sense when Swags carried footwear for team sports like basketball, softball and volleyball, but less so as the retail business centered its product on running and performance footwear. With its curated selection of shoes and apparel for running, but also workplace and lifestyle customers, too, the new streamlined name signals a more inclusive vibe.
“We’re for anyone who needs good shoes,” Allie Vincent says.
The Vincents are also doubling down on Swags’ personalized fitting process, giving it a name – Swags Fitted – signifying the company’s commitment to providing tailored recommendations for footwear, insoles, socks and lacing. With the guiding principles of “Precision and Presence,” Swags Fitted aims to ensure each customer enjoys a personalized experience blending technical performance with individual style.
“Our fit specialists are at the heart of our customer experience and Swags Fitted communicates our fit specialists are dialed into providing a technical fit process and taking care of the customer,” Allie Vincent says.
Moving forward, the sisters say they will continue to evolve things while keeping community at the heart of their efforts – a focus Hartel himself practiced. From in-store events to its youth running camp to local outreach endeavors, the Vincents are excited to strengthen existing programs, empower staff to bring passion projects to life and activate new initiatives.
“We have the best team we’ve ever had, which gives us opportunities to dream bigger than ever,” Allie Vincent says. “What might seem out of the box for run specialty doesn’t have to be and there are endless ways we can make an impact in our community.”
