Some 400 people were lined up Tuesday morning in front of Need Supply Co. to buy a limited release Nike shoe designed by Richmond native Sean Wotherspoon, who won the contract in a contest earlier this year. Some attendees were fans of Nike, others of the designer; still, others were there to make some money. Nearly all of them would be disappointed when the Richmond Police were called and the event was canceled just minutes after the store opened.
Designer Wotherspoon with the shoe
“People would kill over that shoe,” said one of the first men in line, who preferred to remain anonymous. He travelled from New York with 23 other men to buy the shoes at a retail price of $126 to sell them online for as much as $3,000.
He and his associates had arrived Saturday night and were settled in when we stopped to talk to them Monday, around the same time that Richmonders started to show up. “[Richmond] thought they were gonna pull up tonight — now they are crying cause them New Yorkers first,” he said, talking about the crowd makeup. “Half of these people are New Yorkers, … these New Yorkers are savages.”
VCU students Germ & Ty
Nearby, two VCU students who were part of the late-arrivals watched the line from their plastic lawn chairs. “I didn’t even know I wanted them that bad until I thought I could get them,” said one of the two, a man who went by Germ.
His friend, Ty, thought it was unfair that out of state groups got to be first. “He should make it where VA IDs get theirs the first 20 minutes instead of the 80 percent of people that aren’t from here,” he said, talking about Wotherspoon. “Sean is a genuine dude, always been genuine, but in my opinion, he should show love to VA first and then the rest of them.”
The two disagreed about the merits of the release. Germ was in favor, saying it would put Richmond on the map, but Ty was skeptical. “I like the low key. I don’t want to be like New York, I don’t want to be LA or none of those. I like how Richmond is — even Broad Street is like genuine.”
Across the street, we talked to Derek, co-owner of Treasure, a sneaker and streetwear shop, who spoke to the economics of reselling.
Co-owners of Treasure
“You have to think about it — someone gets 25 pairs of those shoes in the morning, the shoe is $160 retail, low end you can sell them for $800, fresh out of the door. That guy, that’s how he feeds his kids,” he said, although he wasn’t enthusiastic about its impact on the shoe business.
“You don’t buy what you like no more. You buy what’s trending. You buy what’s popping. You buy what you can make money on,” he said, pointing to hype and marketing as the key forces.
“If it doesn’t have a hype behind it, it sits on the shelf. You build the hype, they gon’ come. Marketing is the biggest thing ever. ”
Hype has certainly been building, especially with a listing on eBay that the men at the front of the line described as fake, listing the shoe at $91,900 with 185 bids. They suggested it was arranged between sellers and bidders just to build interest.
Although re-selling isn’t popular with retailers, it’s perfectly legal, something one of the men from New York was quick to point out. “I’m a businessman, I’m not a hustler. This really separates the difference now cause they ain’t nothing illegal happening,” he said.
Richmond rapper Noah-O was another latecomer, and he stopped to talk to us while he looked for his spot. “I would have come out here sooner if I would’ve known. This is the biggest thing I’ve ever seen here,” he said, talking about the importance of the release to him as a local.
Richmond rapper Noah-O
“This the dream come true. It’s like Lebron, you make the NBA and play for your home team. This dude conquered the fucking sneaker streetwear thing, getting his foot in the door and he’s {said} naw, I’mma drop this shoe in Richmond.”
The line looked well-established, but it had been broken up and reformed at least three times by Monday night. Some saw a chance that they could make it into the official line if another break-up occurred.
“That’s when I make my move,” said Germ, the VCU student. “I am gonna come back and hopefully get some type of spot in the first 250.”
In the end, only 30 lucky shoppers would get the shoe. Crowd chaos and unruly behavior, which resulted in damage to the store’s door, led Need Supply to close early and call in the police. A future release plan is in development, but it will not take place at Need Supply.
Article by: R. Anthony Harris and David Streever.
Photo Credits: R. Anthony Harris
