by Jamie Lund, Kate McCormick, and Jadrian Williams
Standing in line for over six hours to buy a pair of shoes is not an inconvenience for a sneakerhead. Neither is shelling out more than $400 on a pair of shoes or having enough shoes to fill two walk-in closets.
Sneakerheads collect shoes as a hobby. Senior Johnny White knows all about it.
“A sneakerhead is a person who knows a lot about shoes, owns a lot of shoes and would spend their last dollar on a pair of shoes,” Johnny said.
Senior Kendall Dennis, another self-proclaimed sneakerhead, said he owns more than 100 pairs of shoes.
“It’s constantly on my mind: what’s the next pair I’ll get, and how much is it going to cost me?” Kendall said.
Kendall spends up to $500 a month on shoes and has waited in line for hours to buy rare pairs. He attends sneaker conventions and buys and trades sneakers on eBay. He said he fell in love with shoes in the fifth grade after seeing family members collect them.
“Shoes tell a story,” Kendall said. “It’s a way of greeting someone. Most of the time, I look down when I walk. I look at your shoes as a background of who you are.”
Senior Justin Bartlett works at Famous Footwear in Mechanicsville. He said that shoes complete an outfit.
“It’s like the icing on the cake,” Justin said. “It’s that added touch that finishes off your outfit.”
Sophomore T’Aisya Squire said she does not consider herself a sneakerhead, but she does enjoy collecting shoes. In fact, she owns more than 70 pairs.
“I just love them,” T’Aisya said. “I can express me because I can put on any color, and they look nice.”
Many collectors clean their shoes on a regular basis. T’Aisya said she always cleans her shoes after wearing them.
“Every time I’m done wearing them, I clean them and put them back in the box,” T’Aisya said.
Freshman Tony Lofton said he owns dozens of pairs of sneakers and puts a lot of effort into cleaning them.
“I get a toothbrush, water, a cup of soap, a rag, and leather cleaner, and just line my shoes up and clean them,” Tony said.
Senior Willie Nixon owns 42 pairs of shoes and keeps his bathroom cabinets stocked with items to keep his kicks in tiptop condition. He said people collect shoes for different reasons.
“Some people do it just for fame; other people do it for resale value, and other people do it just because they like shoes,” Willie said.
From hobby to obsession, shoes are a big part of many students’ lives.
“Some people love other stuff. I just love sneakers,” T’Aisya said. “They’re my favorite thing.”
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