Sneaker Head
If you’ve read any of my other stories you may already know that I consider myself a shoe junkie. Nothing beats opening a box to see the crispy new pair of sneakers you’ve been dreaming about. The smell, the newness, the way they feel when you first slip your foot in and stand up. It’s always been one of my favorite activities.
As a kid I always had a new pair of sneakers on my list for Santa. Back to school shopping was always exciting for me because my grandma was the one who let me pick out a new pair of sneakers from the Sears catalog. I would save all of my babysitting money for new sneakers. Today, sneaker heads as they are called, invest a lot of money and time into adding to their collection.
I don’t need new Yeezys, I enjoy the classics. Some memorable sneakers from my childhood include, my first pair of little pink converse at 5 years old, my black Reebok high top pumps at 8 years old (now I am really dating myself), some red low top puma’s (13 yrs old saved one month of baby sitting money to buy those) and of course, the original three stripe Adidas Superstars (16 yrs old).
I always took care of my new sneakers too. I would clean them with soapy water and a toothbrush, yes a toothbrush. I would put in sneaker balls and lovingly place them back in their box for safe keeping. Everyone at school knew I was a bit obsessed and as I got more attention towards my footwear, I tried new ways to lace them to stand out even more.
Soon everyone wanted to know how to lace their sneakers like me. I never liked having to tie my shoes so I would lace them in a way I could slip in and out without messing with my laces. Other students had me tying their shoes during lunch time and I guess I was kind of an ‘influencer’ of sorts.
Try tying your sneakers a different way one day, the visualization I found from Journeys shows a nice variety. If you don’t want to tie your shoes any longer, try the lock lacing (20). It really can change the look of your sneakers completely. I’ve revamped many with just a change of laces and a nice scrub.
