On, the Swiss running brand whose cloud-pod soles have become a fixture on South Florida feet, is celebrating the grand opening of its new store at Aventura Mall this weekend, Friday, October 9 through Sunday, October 11. The shop sits on the mall's upper level at 19575 Biscayne Blvd., and On's own store directory lists only two of its branded stores in all of Florida: this one and the Miami Design District shop on NE 40th Street.

The opening is built around running rather than ribbon cutting. Each of the three days has its own hook, and the centerpiece is a free 5K on Saturday morning that starts in the mall's Outdoor Courtyard, beside the 93-foot Aventura Slide Tower.

What Happens Each Day

The weekend schedule, as posted by Aventura Mall, breaks down like this:

  • Friday, October 9: shoppers who buy from the new collection get an exclusive gift with purchase while supplies last.
  • Saturday, October 10, 8 to 10 a.m.: a 5K community run hosted by On and the Runknown Run Club, with free shoe try-ons, coffee and refreshments, a raffle and giveaways afterward. Runners meet in the Outdoor Courtyard near the Slide Tower.
  • Sunday, October 11: a complimentary coffee or matcha for anyone who stops in to browse the latest arrivals.

On is collecting RSVPs for the weekend through its event page. Saturday is the one to plan around. An 8 a.m. start in mid-October is about as kind as running weather gets in north Miami-Dade, and finishing at a mall means the coffee, the bathrooms and the air conditioning are all a few steps away.

Why a Shoe Store Is Hosting a Race

On has always sold itself through runners first. The company traces its start to the Swiss Alps, where former pro athlete Olivier Bernhard began testing a prototype shoe, and to 2010, when friends Caspar Coppetti and David Allemann joined him to build the brand. Its products are still engineered in Switzerland, and its research team works out of an On Lab in Zurich. The hollow pods on the bottom of its shoes, the part people recognize from across a room, are the company's CloudTec cushioning system.

The brand also has a name tennis fans carry. Roger Federer came aboard as a partner and investor rather than a paid endorser, and On says it co-created THE ROGER line of court and lifestyle sneakers with him. The first of those shoes was unveiled in 2020, on the anniversary of his first Wimbledon title.

A company like that does not open a store with a sale rack. It opens one with a group run, because the runners who show up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday are the same people who will come back for their next pair.

The Run Club That Is Already There

The partner on Saturday's 5K is not a one-off. The Runknown Run Club already meets at Aventura Mall every Tuesday night, gathering at 6:45 p.m. in the same Outdoor Courtyard near the Slide Tower and heading out at 7:15 p.m. for a 3-mile run on the Don Soffer Exercise Trail. All paces are welcome, and there is a walking group for anyone who would rather keep it easy.

That trail is one of Aventura's best quiet amenities. The city's own facilities page describes it as a 3.1-mile loop around the Turnberry Isle golf course along Country Club Drive, a 10-foot-wide paved path with shade trees, ground lighting, benches and chilled water fountains. It is free, open 24 hours a day, and dogs are welcome on a leash. One lap is a 5K, which is exactly why local runners treat it as a measuring stick.

So if Saturday's run hooks you, there is a standing weekly invitation waiting the following Tuesday, with no entry fee and no gear requirement beyond a pair of shoes.

Finding the Store

The new On store is on the upper level of Aventura Mall, and the mall recommends the parking garage near Apple as the closest entrance. On's directory lists regular hours of 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Expect running and training shoes, the brand's technical apparel and accessories, and the everyday sneakers that have carried On well beyond the running crowd.

One note for families planning to pair the run with a ride: the Slide Tower that marks the meeting spot, a steel and glass work by German artist Carsten Höller that stands nine stories over the courtyard, is between seasons right now. The mall's arts page says it reopens on Friday, November 20.

What It Means for Aventura

For residents of Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Golden Beach and the south end of Hallandale Beach, the practical change is simple. Trying on a pair of On shoes in a store built entirely around the brand no longer requires a drive down Biscayne to the Design District. It is now a few minutes from the Turnberry loop, inside a mall that already draws runners on Tuesday nights.

The bigger payoff is the weekend itself. A free, organized 5K that starts and finishes in your own neighborhood, with coffee waiting at the end, is a rare thing on a South Florida calendar. Lace up Saturday at 8 and you will have met half of Aventura's running community before most of the mall's stores even open.