Pedestrian Shops

The Pedestrian Shops began doing business shortly after the first Earth Day in 1970. Its first shop was located in a repurposed 1950s bookmobile. Its first bricks and mortar location was opened in 1971 in downtown Boulder, Colorado. Its humble roots are memorable for the story of its first store fixtures, carved from tree trunks; their first months of use required daily spraying for ants. Today, 42 years later, The Pedestrian has become widely regarded as one of the world's leading retailers of comfortable shoes, operating two Boulder, CO stores and a website, http://www.comfortableshoes.com.

In addition, the company is noted for social programs and green business practices, including shoe drives that have collected tens of thousands of pairs of reusable footwear for community members in need, as well as a variety of environmental programs. Pedestrian installed a 10 kilowatt photovoltaic array in 2008 that made it the world’s first solar powered shoe store.

Richard Polk is the president and co-founder of Boulder’s 40-year-old Pedestrian Shops, known as the region’s leading retailer of comfortable footwear.

Richard was elected to Boulder’s City Council in 2005 and prior to that served on countless boards and commissions. He was chair of the original Downtown Mall Commission, chair of the Downtown Management Commission, business partner of the Community Foundation, member of the 9th and Canyon Civic Task Force, member of the Transportation Master Plan Update, president of the Polk Family Charitable Foundation, president of the Boulder Parks and Recreation Foundation, board member of The Dairy Center for the Arts, and board member of Downtown Boulder Inc.

Meet the Owner of Pedestrian Shops

While serving on the City Council, Richard proposed Boulder’s socially innovative Solar Rebate ordinance, which contributed to a dramatic and unprecedented increase in solar installations during the first two years after it became law.

Since completing his council term in 2007, Richard has continued serving on the board of Downtown Boulder Inc. and has joined the Citizens Advisory Board of the Xcel Renewable Energy Trust. Currently he serves on the board of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce and the board and executive committee of the Colorado Chautauqua Association, and since 2008 he has chaired the board of the Dairy Center for the Arts.

Richard works with his daughter, Lauren Polk, in managing their family businesses. His younger daughter, Zoe Polk, attends DePaul University in Chicago.