My Boston Sneaker Experience

 

When's the last time you walked into a sneaker shop and walked away with something you were legitimately pumped about getting? No, I'm not talking about after you've camped out for hours and frozen your proverbial nuts off. And I'm not counting getting your name "randomly" pulled from a box to win a raffle. I'm talking about walking off the street, going into a shop, and grabbing something dope. Think hard. It might take a while; I know it did for me. Until tonight, that is.

On Monday I flew into Boston for work and found myself with some free time. There were so many places that I knew I wanted to go (Concepts, Bodega, AWOL), but unfortunately I didn't have any personal transportation and only a few hours of free time. I cut my losses and did what I typically do when I'm in a new city; I started walking. I found quite a few stores a couple of blocks away and Googled to see if I was close to any sneaker shops. Voila! I was three blocks from a Nike Store and a New Balance (Boston-based)!

Being from Kansas City, I'd never gotten to go to an actual Nike Store. Yeah, I'd been to tons of factory and outlet stores, but I'd never been to an actual Nike Store. It's a sad situation for someone who is supposedly a "sneaker enthusiast." That all changed Monday night.

And it was a complete disappointment.

I'd always imagined that when I finally got to go to a Nike Store it'd be some magical place of (sneaker) unicorns. I thought I'd be able to walk in and just grab a bunch of Nike Sportswear sneakers I wasn't able to get over the past few months. Boy, was I wrong! It, honestly, was like walking into a much nicer, well organized, Nike-specific Footlocker. By that, I mean, there wasn't really anything there that I couldn't walk into my local Footlocker and get. Yeah, they had a couple shoes that they don't have at Footlocker, but they weren't anything you'd want; I guess that's why they're still there. I at least thought I'd be able to contemplate buying and eventually pass (again) on some Flax Air Force Ones, but they didn't even have those.

New Balance wasn't much better, but God, does New Balance put out the best damn general releases on the market or what? It's honestly not even close in my opinion either. I suppose you get what you pay for though ($250 GRs). I was hoping I could find some old GR goodies on deep discount, or some collaborations or something, but I wasn't in any luck. I did find some gorgeous GRs that I was interested in but not for full price when I know I can get them on discount at some point down the road. Here's some of the ones I liked though:

It 'kicked up a notch' on Tuesday though; that's when I hit the jackpot. I was on my way to Patagonia to look for my girlfriend a Christmas gift (she wants a Patagonia beanie), and I just so happened to run across an Adidas store on my way. I didn't even consider an Adidas store being in the area! Again, we only have an Adidas outlet in KC; the more I think about it, KC is a depressing place to live if you like sneakers. But, anyways, back to the point. Adidas had a sign outside that they released some Ultra Boost today, and I had to think "what Ultra Boosts dropped today?" And then I thought, "well it doesn't really matter because they're going to be sold out anyway." That is, until I walked in and set my eyes upon something gorgeous; the Ultra Boost LTD "Glow Pack." I instantly gravitated toward them like a magnet. By gravitated, I mean, if Joe Thomas was trying to block me from them it wouldn't have ended up well for him.

I asked the guy who welcomed me if he had a 9.5 or 10 (remember that for me if you see the cream ones), and he said they didn't have a 10. Then he paused...

......

................

They had a 9.5 though! He immediately rips off the tag for me to try them on (ugh!), but I knew I was buying them already. He rung me up, and I sent a picture (no flash, of course) to some of the other writers from Kickin' Up a Notch, and they went nuts. It's awesome to have a group of guys who don't care about hype and can appreciate a gorgeous shoe. Unfortunately, I couldn't oop any of them because they didn't have any other sizes left except an 8.

After one of them (Wes) started looking for a pair for himself, he found that they were called the "Glow Pack" and weren't supposed to release until December 4th. Then, I started wondering, "I wonder why they're called the Glow Pack?" So, I flipped on my flash and took another picture. That's when all hell broke loose. The upper weaving has 3M reflective threading. My mind was completely blown at this point. Did I just walk into a store, pick up a random shoe I thought was beautiful, purchase it, and come back to the hotel to find out it's actually even better than I originally though? Hell yes I did; That. Just. Happened. Thank you Boston!

Maybe my expectations were too high for Nike and New Balance. Maybe that's some of my naivety not being from a place that has those stores. Either way, I hit the jackpot, in my eyes, with the Ultra Boost LTD. They're absolutely gorgeous, and I'm extremely glad I was able to grab them before Kanye undoubtedly wears them and the hype goes through the roof!

We back.

And we back.

And we back.

And we back. And we back. And we back. And we...

And we back. And we back, yeah.....

New Year's Sneaker Resolutions

January 1st marks the beginning of a new year. It also marks the start of New Year's resolutions. People the world over make half-hearted promises to themselves to make a personal change, with less than 10% of them sticking with their goal throughout the year. However, there are some that take on their resolution as a personal challenge and create better lives for themselves out of it. The most historically flamboyant resolutionist, Mark Zuckerberg, once resolved to only eat meat he butchered himself for an entire year. For a young billionaire, working in technology, that's quite a feat.

Although we may not see ourselves out in the pasture with a knife chasing after goats, we sneaker enthusiasts, likely also have our own personal resolution to change either our spending habits, our collection size, our sneaker focus, style, or something of the sort. The key to a resolution of any type is all in the details. You must be specific about your goals and what the outcome of your resolution will look like. Here are some easy three step methods to help you accomplish your sneaker resolution.


Resolution Type: Limiting Collection Size

One resolution that is very popular amongst sneaker enthusiasts is that they want to keep their collection at the same number of pairs they started the New Year with. This is difficult because you always seem to run across those months where there's a ton of sneakers dropping that you want, and you really don't want to get rid of. Or, you find some super cheap kicks that look "alright," and you end up picking them up for 50 bucks or less. What do you do then?


Step One: Determine a Specific Goal

Is your goal to maintain the same amount that you have now? Is it is get down to a certain number? Is it to only add a certain number of sneakers this year?   Whatever you're trying to do to limit your collection size, be specific. If you're trying to maintain the size, you need to know how many sneakers you have right now. If it's to get down to a certain number then what's that specific number? Write it down. Put a Post-It on your sneaker stash to remind you what that number is. And if you're only adding a certain number of shoes be sure to make the number concrete. You can't fluctuate from the number.

Step Two: Identify Pairs

If you're limiting your collection size you're probably going to have to make some cuts at some point, but luckily you don't have to worry about feelings or angry parents. You only need to worry about figuring out which pairs you can live without. If you have a larger collection this will probably be easier than if you have a smaller collection, but either way it won't be fun. You have to understand why you're making these tough choices and be all-in. If you aren't all-in during this process then you don't really want a change. Once you've determined what pairs you're most willing to part with, you just have to figure out how the hell you're going to purge them.

Step Three: Purge

There are essentially only two ways to purge: selling or donating. When selling, be sure to give yourself ample time to do so. You don't want to make a habit of buying shoes then trying to sell to make room for them. That just makes the likelihood of you keeping both pairs even greater. Determine which shoes you're most willing to get rid of and purge those first. If they have no value, or you are feeling generous, then go the donation route.

When donating, be sure to give to a non-profit organization. A lot of people don't realize that there are a ton of for-profit thrift stores that are more than willing to take your donations but have the look and feel of a charitable organization. Also, these types of "donations" are not tax-deductible, so keep that in mind. The safest bet is to just use Soles for Souls. They have drop-off locations throughout the United States and are sure to get your unnecessary shoes into grateful hands. Find a drop-off location or buy a shipping label here.


Resolution Type: Limiting Spending

The other major category of sneaker resolutions is to limit your sneaker spending throughout the year. Although this can go hand-in-hand with some collection limiting as well, limiting your spending doesn't revolve around the number of pairs you pick-up but rather how much you spend on those pickups. For some, there are shoes that they plain and simply just have to have, even if the resale price is the only way to get them. That would count as only one pair, but if you're limiting spending, that could take down a large part of your budget.


Step One: Determine a Specific Goal

Much like the process above, you must start with a specific goal. For a sneaker-spending resolution that goal is the amount of money you're willing to spend of sneakers. However, it is not just that simple. You need to determine if that includes money you may make over the course of the year by purging some of your collection (see Step three above). Are you willing to spend $250 total a month, or are you willing to spend $3,000 a year plus allow yourself to use money made from selling off pairs as well?


Step Two: Save

Is there a reason you're limiting yourself? Are there bills that need to be paid down or a vacation you want to save for? Make sure your sneaker spending goal coincides with those goals. If you're used to just using whatever money is in your account to buy whatever you want, be sure to take that money out of the account by transferring it into a savings account, an IRA, or just withdraw cash and stash it somewhere safe. It's typically easier to save money when you don't have it sitting there ready to be used at a moment's notice, and once you start doing this the money will quickly add up.


Step Three: The Hunt

Some sneaker enthusiasts spend $500 a month on two or three pairs. By limiting yourself to only $300 a month it not only forces you to save the $200 but also start a new hunt; the hunt for low prices. For some, the hunt for sneakers is the adrenaline rush, so by replacing the rush with another (to find great deals) you won't feel the withdrawals. Plus, you'll have saved $2,400 over the course of the year. This type of behavior often also leads to other unintended outcomes such as discovering new types of shoes that you like and diminishing your inner-hypebeast.


No matter what your sneaker resolution may be, or even if you don't have a sneaker resolution, consider this: according to Campless survey data, the average "sneakerhead" has 34 pairs of shoes in their collection. With an average Jordan price of $190 retail, each collection, at retail value, is worth nearly $6,500. If you were to decrease that spending by 25%, the average collector would still have 26 sneakers in their collection, but also more than $1,600 in their bank account. Can you go find 8 pairs of shoes you'd be willing to give up?

The Top 15 Sneakers of 2015

2015. What a time to be alive. This year we saw the largest jump in sneaker enthusiasm for a single brand that we've seen since Nike brought Air Max to the equation. Adidas made such a large move for their brand by not only bring us Kanye West's Yeezys, but also bringing arguably the most innovative sneaker technology to the market since the announcement of air technology with Boost. Boost revolutionized sneaker comfort and became the new benchmark in a single year. With some input from the other guys in our small group of sneaker enthusiasts, here are the top 15 sneaker of 2015. Was Boost technology enough to make Adidas capture my top sneaker choice of 2015? Take a look at the list and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments or via Twitter!


15. Yeezy Boost 750 "Light Brown"

The first Yeezy from Adidas was long awaited after the news of him signing with the brand. In 2015 we finally got the Yeezy Boost 750 in light brown as the debut model from Kanye West and Adidas. Although the shoe received mixed reviews initially, the hype that built-up to its release rivaled some of the largest hype-machines we've ever seen in sneakers. No matter how a list of top sneakers from 2015 is constructed, the Yeezy Boost 750 is necessary due to the overwhelming demand for the shoe. Plus, Boost.

14. Atlas x Nike SB "35mm"

2015 was not the strongest year for Nike SB that we've seen recently, but there were certain shoes that stuck out above the rest. As the only SB model on the countdown, the Atlas 35mm pairing gave us great materials, an extremely wearable color palette and unique packaging. Although the sneaker looks to be ordinary, there are details on the insole and outsole that make it great. Plus, it's a sneaker that you can wear no matter what the future of fashion brings.

13. Nike Air Jordan 1 "Shattered Backboard"

The most anticipated new colorway on a Nike Air Jordan model in recent memory, the Shattered Backboard Air Jordan 1 also brought higher quality materials than we'd seen over the past few years. Even with Nike Air on the tongue, the color orange is a difficult color to get people excited about, but the Shattered Backboards did just that. These will undoubtedly be a shoe that Jordan-heads look back on in the future and revel about.

12. Packer Shoes x Sneaker Freaker x Puma Blaze of Glory "Blood Bath"

Following the 2013 Sneaker Freaker releases of the "Great White" and "Black Beast" Blaze of Glory, this year we saw the "Bloodbath." In an extraordinarily wearable colorway, this rendition of the BOG from Puma sets itself apart from others. The theme of the shoes is well taken as the blood-colored upper is contrasted nicely against the aqua hits on the midsole. Couple the shoes with the incredible packaging and add-in the staggered releases at their pop-up shop, this shoe deservedly finds its way into the top 15.

11. Premier x New Balance "PRMR"

With their first shot at a New Balance collaboration, Michigan-based Premier gave us a tonal delight with their PRMR 998. Modeled after many other shoes we've seen in the past with contrasting toe boxes, these differentiate themselves by using toned-down colors. Both the quality of the leathers and suedes used on the shoes, as well as their overall wearability make them a staple to many sneakerhead rotations.

10. Ronnie Fieg x Highsnobiety x Puma RF698S "A Tale of Two Cities"

In 2015, there was much hype in build-up to the Ronnie Fieg x ASICS "Homage" release which paid respect to the different ASICS GEL Lyte IIIs that Ronnie has created over the years, but before that Ronnie gave us something even more unique--his own Pumas. Although the RF-Blaze of Glory saw some changes from the original BOG model, the RF698S was much more substantially redesigned. Fieg removed the model's tongue and instead replaced it with a neoprene sock liner. Additionally, Ronnie added to the shoe by removing additional panels and allowing the Puma striping to extend from the midfoot through the heel of the shoe. Successfully orchestrated, this redesigned begins the top 10.

9. Hanon x ASICS GEL Lyte III "Lyte Night"

The first ASICS on the list is one of 2 from the 25th Anniversary series celebrating the 25th anniversary of the GEL Lyte III model. Captured in monochromatic blues, the Night Lyte GEL Lyte IIIs are the cooler side to Hanon's widely heralded Wildcats. Shrouded with the classic Hanon flames and a trinity emblem on the sockliner, this pair is simple yet statement-making. Successful, yet simple, color-blocking gets this pair into the top 10.

8. SoleBox x Diadora N.9000 "Ferro"

Making a splash over the past 2 years, Diadora has reestablished itself among the popular runner brands, and to many Diadora enthusiasts, the Ferro takes the cake. Color-blocked and contrasted, the upper of the Ferro is simple enough to be worn often but make enough of a statement for onlookers to turn their heads for a second glance. Using quality materials not seen used by many other brands, the N.9000 series of collaborations has found success for the brand.

7. Commonwealth x ASICS GEL Lyte V "Da Vinci"

After the success of their "Gemini" GEL Lyte V colorway, Commonwealth gave the model a second show with the release of the "Da Vinci." Limited to only 500 pairs and exclusive to Commonwealth itself, this pair was highly sought after by ASICS enthusiasts the world over. Aside from their rarity, the Da Vinci brought back Earth tones with a nice mix of materials including distressed leather and pigskin. Difficult to do, Commonwealth made these toned-down colors pop off feet and find themselves in the top 10.

6. Nike Air Jordan 1 "Chicago"

Paying homage to the original days of Jordan 1s, the Chicago used great leathers and featured unlaced pairs out of the box. A staple to any Jordan enthusiasts collection, this Chicago colorway rendition also featured Nike Air on the tongue, something we'd all been waiting to see happen again. After Nike cancelled their original release, the Chicagos gained even more momentum and hype within the sneaker world. Just outside of the top 5 for the year, the Nike Air Jordan 1 Chicago is a true classic that will always be fashionable.

5. Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 "Moon Rock"

Many argue about which color is better, so replace your favorite color here. No matter which colorway you liked best, the Yeezy Boost 350 was an extreme success from Adidas. Not only was the hype at astounding levels for each pair, there were enough pairs to give everyone at least the feeling of being able to own a coveted Yeezy. Yeezy Boost 350s were the reason the resale on many other shoes didn't reach their pinnacle and became bricks, as many continued to save up for the next Yeezy. Vote Yeezy Boost 350 in 2016.

4. Adidas Ultra Boost "White"

Much like the Yeezys above, you can replace the white with the color of your choice, but the white is mentioned because it's the the colorway that Kanye wore and truly got the Ultra Boost model launch off the ground. Until then, there was no primary Boost model that people were passionate about, as many couldn't decide between Energy, Pure, and Ultra. However, the Ultra Boost created a name for itself by providing multiple great colorways throughout the year, but most of all, having extreme comfort which will never go out of style.

3. LimitEDitions x Diadora N.9000 "Castellers"

One of the most sought after 'runner' releases of the year, these Diadora find themselves in the top 3. Not only are they created of premium materials and and incredible color choices, they also feature an extremely detailed heel graphic that represents the shoes' inspiration. Additionally, the same graphic was given on a keyring and is found on the box. Crafted of kangaroo leather and wolverine suede, the materials on these are next level. Clearly a top 3 choice.

2.  Packer Shoes x ASICS GEL Lyte III "Dirty Buck"

Nearly unanimously the best 25th Anniversary GEL Lyte III of the year, Packer brought us a banger with the Dirty Bucks. What made these one of the more interesting releases of the year was the hesitation by some because of the pink-toned midsole, but once they released all hesitation subsided and the hunt was on, especially for the specially packaged pairs which included tons of extras. The Dirty Buck remind us of what a a great model, simple colorway, and quality materials could do. Greatness and well-deserving of the silver medal spot.

1.  Titelhelden x Kangaroos COIL-R1 "Cheesecake"

Incredibly difficult to purchase and only available from Titelhelden in Hamburg, Germany, the Kangaroos Coil R-1 "Cheesecake" top off the list. Crafted of calfskin leather and handmade in Germany, the Cheesecake are simply colored in off-white accented by a classic gum bottom. Not only does the colorway reflect the inspiration behind the shoe but also allows for year-round, lifelong wear. White and gum will always be in style. Attention to detail from the hand-stitched Titelhelden patch adorning the tongue to the intricate patterning of threads holding all panels together, nothing beats something crafted by human hands.


Honorable Mentions:

Ronnie Fieg x ASICS GEL Lyte III "Homage"
Nike Air Force One "Wheat"
Concepts x New Balance 997 "Luxury Goods"
Nike Flyknit Racer "Multicolored 2.0"
UnheardOf x Anonymous x Nike SB "Nasty Boys"
Jordan IV "Oreo"