There’s a name for people who crave retro Jordans, Nikes, and Yeezys. It’s sneakerheads and a store in La Grange caters to that group of avid shoe collectors who are willing to spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars for footwear.
The store is Restock Chicago at 74 S. La Grange Road. Co-owners Anthony Guzman and George Martinez opened the store a year and a half ago to capitalize on the business of resale sneakers which, industry experts say, is booming.
A sneakerhead website, StockX, reports that the secondary market for rare and limited-release sneakers is estimated to be worth more than $1 billion. Guzman and Martinez are increasing their bet that the demand for sneakers will not abate. The store recently expanded to a larger space in La Grange and plans in the next few months to open new stores at Chicago Ridge Mall and Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge.
The store sells the coveted shoes that buyers have a hard time finding elsewhere.
“Restock means that we have the shoes that are sold out elsewhere. It’s a second chance,” Guzman said.
Guzman, who has a personal collection of 300 sneakers, said sneakerheads have a passion for sneakers associated with sports icons or other celebrities. It got started by Nike’s well-loved Jordan brand and is being fueled by other releases of other highly-sought sneakers such as Kanye West’s Yeezy brand, which is associated with Adidas.
Pointing to a pair of light gray bulky shoes behind a glass case in his store, Guzman said the pair of Yeezys were released five months ago for $300. Today they sell for about $2,000.
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The limited number of shoes in each release and the celebrity names linked to them creates demand, Guzman said.
“People want what other people don’t have,” he said. “They don’t want to have what everyone else is wearing.”
Guzman said a limited release of a shoe might have 15,000 pairs.
“But you have five million people in the U.S. who want it and are going crazy for it,” he said.
“It’s like the stock market,” said Martinez. “If the shoes are worth $500 they may go up to $600 in a week.”
At the same time, they can also go down. Restock Chicago has a pair of bland-looking black sneakers by the rapper Pusha T and Adidas priced at $150, which have gone down in price since they were purchased.
“We got these early because we thought they were going to sell a lot,” said Guzman, noting that they were released with a price of $300.
“People thought they looked like work shoes,” he explained.
Unlike other stores where shoes are sold, Restock Chicago doesn’t have a lot of seating for people to try on shoes.
“There is some stuff we don’t let people try on,” said Guzman. “Just putting them on you might scuff them on the floor or put a crease or mark on them.”
People who want to buy a shoe will often call to see if it’s available in their size or contact the store online.
Guzman and Martinez started their business selling online, which they continue to do. They takes shoes on consignment, acquire some at stores such as Foot Locker and others when the sneakers are released, and attend sneaker trade shows where they buy, sell and trade shoes.
Guzman once waited 18 hours outside a store for a new shoe release. He understands the passion people have for sneakers.
“I have a closet just for shoes,” he said.
Martinez said some of their customers are buying shoes with the hope of reselling them, but most are selling them to keep. Collectors, for instance, will want to have a shoe in every color of a particular release.
Both Guzman and Martinez said the company’s success is based on trustworthiness that was built by dealing honestly online with customers.
“The shoes are right (as described),” said Martinez. “They’re not fakes or knock-offs. They will get actually get the shoes.”
James Rosado, a customer from Union City, New Jersey with a 45 sneaker collection, has purchased sneakers over the Internet from Restock Chicago.
“If I order something online they ship it right away,” he said. “I always get a call from them asking if I’m satisfied with it.”
Rosado said Restock Chicago has a good inventory, and the owners will go out of their way to try to find shoes for a customer.
Guzman said he grew up wanting a pair of Jordan XVI Ginger sneakers that he was eventually able to buy.
“I got them when I got my first job,” he said. “All my money went to shoes.”
As long as there are sneakerheads out there like him who crave limited release sneakers, he feels confident about the store’s future.
“I feel like the business is just going to keep going up,” he said.
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