SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

words by Steve Jaconetta

First off i’ll explain exactly what this “pick of the month” post means. I was pondering with ideas to give some more flavor to our amazing sneaker archive for quite some time now. So I thought, why don’t the authors on the site find a shoe in the archive that has a personal story behind it to that specific person and post about it once a month.

I know everyone out there has their fair share of stories that might surround a series of sneakers or maybe one in particular. Whether it’s a horror story or good story, they’re out there. So with this being said I have chosen the shoe below this month, and here is my story….

It was January 3, 2004. I remember it like it was yesterday. That was the day I set out on my first sneaker campout. It was at Niketown NY, and it was for the artist series which included an Air Rift for Halle Berry, a Dunk High for Pharrell, and an Air Force 2 Low for ESPO. I was attempting to get both the Pharrell’s and the ESPO’s as I am a huge Air Force 2 fan also. So I got there a little before 1 a.m. and to my suprise there was a line that started in the back of the building and wrapped all the way around to almost the wing of the store.

I was with a friend and immediately did not know what to do. Should I take a chance and bear the cold weather with the 100s of others in front of me hoping people will pass on sizes if they cannot get their own? Or should I give up without trying and just head back home on the Metro North for the 2 hour ride home? Well without hesitation I decided to stay without even letting my friend voice his opinion. It was a million to one shot but something told me that if I didn’t try then, i’d always regret it and wonder “what if.”

So there we were sitting on the ground with only a sheet separating our bodies from the sidewalk. Needless to say I was very unprepared for this as I did not know what to expect being it was my first time. I did thankfully have an umbrella and a comforter which were both lifesavers as it did rain throughout the morning. Continuing on, time seemed like it was never moving. I stared endlessly into the Burberry store where the window display had changing lights. Then people began crowding the street for some reason so I decided to check it out myself.

A few people who had attended the midnight release at places like Nort came by to basically brag but also to deal. Now this was before the hypebeasts were like they were now but back then, if people were trying to flip a shoe for even $100 more it wasn’t easy for people to pull the trigger on because it didn’t make sense at the time. Boy have the times changed. So I see someone was trying to sell their ESPO’s for $250, $100 more than retail. I contemplated just buying them and leaving hoping to pickup the Pharrell’s for a decent price on eBay in the near future, but I couldn’t. Thinking back, sometimes I wish I did do that but in the end I am happy I didn’t.

Soon after, ESPO himself showed up in his trademark ice cream truck to BS with people for awhile. That was entertaining for a whole 20 minutes. Now what? I couldn’t really sleep due to the cold and the anticipation. But as long as it took, the day came and the time for the store opening came closer. Wristbands were handed out and by the time I got mine I was number 286. Not as bad as I thought and even better chances because they had 250 pairs for each style. I probably would’ve ended up in the 300s if people didn’t leave for unknown reasons or purchase them from the re-sellers. Things are starting to look up, at least for the time being.

The line slowly begins to move up and excitement is starting to set in. Then all of a sudden a fresh smell of ketchup hits my nose. I figure someone around me must’ve stepped in some so at first I ignored it thinking the smell would go away, it didn’t. I looked down and there it was, all over my left shoe, on parts of my right and on parts of my jeans. Great. I managed to get off as much as I could from my pants and said screw the kicks, if they got beatup during this adventure then they served their purpose and shall be retired and always remembered for this day. I basically gave up hope of keeping these sneakers nice and had the frame of mind that they would now become beaters for the future.

So the store finally opens and they begin letting a few people in at a time. An hour goes by and it seems the line has barely moved. But then again I did not see many people leaving either. Next thing you know people start coming out, and they have multiple bags. The staff had told us that each person was allowed to by 1 pair per style, a total of 3 pairs if they wanted all three. But, I see people with 4+ pairs walking out. Soon, others in the line began complaining and asking what the deal was. We didn’t get an answer. After a few people jumped out of line and gave into the re-sellers, I finally made it inside the building, but not in the store!

I didn’t realize that there was a huge line inside and then the line continued outside. After some updates from the Niketown Staff about sizes left and such I became quite nervous. Yes I am lucky I have big feet because most of the times I am set as the majority in front of me all wear smaller sizes. I then finally made it to the front of the store, next to go in. I was filled with excitement and in my mind was saying “Yes, I made it and i’ll have my pairs!” Then the next update came, Pharrell’s: 4 pairs left; ESPO’s: 1. One pair left of the shoe I came specifically for, NO!

I began to feel crushed inside. My friend felt bad for me too, he’s not a sneakerhead and he came with me to cop a pair if they were limiting it to 1 per person. I get inside and see people exiting the building and overhear them saying “all the people in line are going to be upset that there’s no more ESPO’s left.” That’s when I lost all hope. Sure there was plenty of the Halle Berry’s left, but I didn’t want them at all. I said to my friend, well, maybe there will be a pair or two of Pharrell’s left and whatever size that’s there I’d buy, hoping at the time I could trade for my size online or something in the near future. I’m next and the associate asks me what I want.

Well I wanted a pair of ESPO’s but since they’re all sold out, I asked what was left in the Pharrells. They ignored my statement on the ESPO’s and checked and said we have a 8, 7, and 12 left in the Dunks. I was overwhelmed with excitement but kept my cool as said i’ll take the sz.12. One down at least! So I cop my pair and begin to leave with my friend, who didn’t buy anything. I wish now I had gotten an extra pair to sell, but you never know. My friend and I get a tap on our shoulder and someone says hey, were either of you interested in a pair of ESPO’s? I was confused but I said yes, that’s what I came for. A staff member then brings us to the counter and says we found a pair mixed in with the Rift’s. A sz.14 if you are interested.

Without hesitation I pulled out my money and said ring them up. Talk about luck! Yes that’s not my size but since I wasn’t going to wear them unless I was able to get two pairs anyways I didn’t care what size they were as long as I got them. So after spending the day in NYC I made the journey back home to Connecticut safe and sound with both my Pharrell’s and ESPO’s.

Now many of you are probably wondering what the Air Force 1 has to do with this story, so i’ll tell you. I was wearing these specific shoes that night. When I got home I attempted to clean them and to my suprise I was very successful. All the ketchup came off, and all the dirt and such as well. Since that day I have called these indestructible. Surviving all that was during my first campout. I still have these today and am proud to say it. Only wearing them a handful of times after that day, they will forever remain in my collection and I will never forget them or this epic story.