Stephanie Pereira da Silva never intended to enter the running retail game, let alone build a multi-layered business pushing the boundaries of traditional run specialty. The creation of Fusion Footwear, in fact, is the result of a 20-year friendship, an enterprising spirit and a touch of serendipity. 

In July 2022, just two months after Pereira da Silva had an ovarian tumor removed during a life-saving surgery, Run Away Shoes owner Ross McDowell contacted Pereira da Silva to gauge her interest in acquiring Run Away’s Oshkosh, WI, location. The two had known each other for about two decades, first through Pereira da Silva’s position as a corporate wellness director for Kimberly-Clark and later through her role as founder of a wellness-focused local nonprofit called pdsF.U.S.I.O.N. Pereira da Silva interacted with the Oshkosh store regularly on different initiatives, including hosting Run Away staff at Kimberly-Clark for fittings. 

While Pereira da Silva rebuffed McDowell’s earlier attempts to be “a part of” Run Away, something about the clarity of McDowell’s latest overture and the timing clicked. 

“I blame it on the pain meds,” Pereira da Silva jokes.

Pereira da Silva agreed to purchase the Oshkosh store in July 2022 and spent the next four months learning the ins and outs of running retail from McDowell and his team. Four months later, Pereira da Silva assumed majority ownership and rebranded the business Fusion Footwear. She has spent the last three-plus years creating a diverse operation with an assortment of complementary services promoting health and wellness.

Beyond the basics

After inheriting a 1200-square-foot “shoebox” of a retail space, Pereira da Silva moved Fusion into a new 4100-square-foot building in November 2024 and began executing her grand plans for a multifaceted wellness emporium anchored by a run specialty store featuring the top footwear, apparel and accessory brands. 

Pereira da Silva created an on-site gym for personal training sessions as well as a group fitness area. 

She inked a deal with Aurora Health Care, a prominent name in Wisconsin’s health care space, to create an on-site physical therapy clinic. Amy Clarke, a physical therapist and orthopedic clinical specialist, currently leads assessments and treatments in the space for a range of injuries. 

Pereira da Silva brought registered dietician Kate Harrell Jenkins into the Fusion orbit to offer customers nutrition coaching, body composition testing, wellness coaching and other health-related services. 

And most recently, Pereira da Silva launched the Rejuvenation Station, a recovery room featuring an infrared sauna, red light therapy, massage chair and Hyperice recovery products. Customers, who can purchase a single session for $20 or a $100 punch card for 10 sessions, have access to any and all of the products when booking their private 30-minute slot. 

“The Rejuvenation Station has been a huge boost for us,” Pereira da Silva says of the recovery space, which debuted last month. “We have athletes coming in after practice to use it as well as spouses booking the room together to use different services in there.”

More to come

Pereira da Silva calls the run specialty shop, the Rejuvenation Station and the varied professional services the “building blocks” of Fusion, though she’s excited to layer on additional elements in 2026 and beyond.  

She has plans to offer quarterly wellness workshops in 2026 and intends to push Fusion’s product assortment into the triathlon space with items like wetsuits. She’s also actively working to expand Fusion’s relationships with first responder agencies and the military, building upon an existing contract to put shoes on the feet of new Army recruits arriving at Fort McCoy. In 2027, she hopes to purchase a shoe truck so she can create a mobile store for visits to schools and corporate events.

“The possibilities for collaborations are really endless and we’re excited about who else we can bring into the fold to create an epic experience,” Pereira da Silva says. 

It’s a lot, Pereira da Silva admits, but the varied offerings create a beneficial synergy for Fusion. Someone might come for physical therapy, for example, and discover the Rejuvenation Station or walk with the physical therapist from the clinic to the retail store to discuss footwear options. 

“We have an amazing opportunity to connect with a dynamic group of people, not just runners, and give ourselves a lot of intersection points with potential customers,” Pereira da Silva says.