In August 2023, over 7,000 people arrived in downtown Minneapolis to buy, sell and trade sneakers at the city’s first Sneaker Con event. With the sneaker resale market currently worth approximately $2 billion globally and growing rapidly, sneakerheads (avid and knowledgable sneaker collectors) are alive and well worldwide and around the corner.
Eden Prairie native Tom Jegers, 36, has been interested in the collectible sneaker scene since he was a kid. “But I didn’t really start buying them until I was an adult out of college and had my own disposable income,” he said.
Like many collectors, Jegers was driven a bit by nostalgia. His youthful interest was renewed when “they started re-releasing shoes that I wanted when I was a kid, and my mom wouldn’t buy them for me,” said Jegers. “Now I’m like, ‘Oh, they’ve got that again, and I can get it for myself now!’”
What is the sweet spot for the number of sneakers a sneakerhead should own? In 2012, Jordan Geller set a Guinness World Record with the world’s largest sneaker collection of 2,388 pairs. He went on to open the ShoeZeum, the world’s first sneaker museum.
For most collectors, though, it seems to boil down to the amount of space available both in one’s home and budget. Jegers’ collection “hovers around 50 pairs,” and he draws the line for himself at closet space available.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve kind of tried to pare down the sheer amount of shoes,” he said. “I have two bedroom closets in my house, and each one’s upper shelf is completely full of shoes.”
Most of Jegers’ collection consists of Air Jordans and other Nikes. He also has a few New Balance and Asics “that I love, but those are more few and far between.”
Jegers also tries to buy what he likes and wants, not just for the resale value or as an investment to never wear or even remove from their boxes. But “I definitely have bought something and then never touched them for five years or and then come back and realize, “Wow, that’s worth $800 now, so I’m going to sell them.”
Collecting sneakers can also be a form of self-expression and creativity.
“It’s definitely fun,” said Jegers. “I feel like most people don’t realize there’s a whole world of shoes out there; you don’t have to just wear a bland pair of shoes on your feet.”
He added, “If you’re wearing a cool pair of shoes, it’s a good icebreaker if you’re out mixing with people. It’s just a fun way to show a little bit of who you are.”
Because his collection is built more on his personal likes over potential resale, “I’ve definitely tried to wear everything that I buy,” he said. “But there’s some that I’ve had for, at this point, 10 or 12 years and wear a couple times a year, then put them back in their box and back in the closet until next year.”
While he enjoys wearing his sneakers, he does take care of them in case he decides later to resell them. Since he mostly buys for himself, he is aware that resale may be lower if shoes are worn, but he is not too worried. The more in-demand shoes, he said, “can still garner a pretty penny in the used markets.”
Though he has a few go-to’s, his favorites can vary. “I might like something a lot for three months or so, and then I forget about it for a couple years,” he said.
His steady favorite, though, is a Jordan 11 Space Jam. “It’s the shoe Michael Jordan wore in the movie ‘Space Jam,’” he said. “That one I love because I wanted it as a kid and I remember seeing it in ‘Space Jam.’ So that one is always towards the top for me.” That pair, he said, he has not worn yet; he is waiting for the perfect occasion to break them out.
Every sneakerhead must have a “grail,” or dream pair of sneakers. For Jegers, the ultimate shoe he’d love to own is the Nike Grateful Dead Bears, a collaboration between Nike and the famous band.
“I’m not usually one to go for celebrity collabs,” said Jegers, “but this is an exception.”
Though he pursued them when they were first released, they ended up being the pair that got away. “I think they’re still going for 3 to 5 grand a pair, now. They are very cool, and I’ll probably never own a pair unless I win the lottery,” he laughed.
Discover more sneaker culture: Sole Stadium at Eden Prairie Center is a haven for rare kicks, fostering a vibrant community of enthusiasts.
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