“We, as African-Americans, are the trendsetters … There would be no Nike and none of these brands if it wasn’t for us setting the trends… How is it possible that in most major cities in America, there is no African-American retailer that has a Nike account? How is that possible?”
Full disclosure, I hadn’t visited the Revolt.tv site. I didn’t even know it was Black-owned, smh. I probably would have never visited if Jazerai Allen-Lord wasn’t writing there. I’ve come to a point where I want to read and support sites built on substance, not hype. I absolutely love that my first visit to the site coincided with the writing of one of the most important posts I’ve ever read on any sneaker site. I have to admit I’m a bit embarrassed I never thought of the topic JazzyRae delivered. It’s even more telling that mainstream sneaker outlets like Hypebeast, Complex and influencers on YouTube have never looked at this topic.
I’m sure you’re asking, ‘what topic?’
JazzyRae took the time to interview Black owners of sneaker boutiques in the U.S. In my 16 years in this industry I had never stopped to think about who owned the sneaker boutiques I’ve read about and visited. I was always focused on the business aspects and that information had one color, green.
I’m not sharing extensive excerpts of what she wrote here in this post because I want you to click through on that source link and drive up the views there. I will do a surface discussion as always and end with topics for you to consider. Let’s go.
In the post on Revolt, Jazzy explains that there are less than 15 (full stop), less than 15 Black-owned sneaker shops in North America and only 17 worldwide (unofficially there are 19, but confirmation is difficult). She dives into the historical aspects of sneaker culture being born in the Black and Brown communities and how Hip-Hop shaped the love of sneakers. She then dives into the appropriation of sneaker culture and the commodification of the love of sneakers. I wrote in my first book that sneaker culture is mainstream. That’s great for brands, not so much for the culture.
Where the article shines is in its introduction to how Black shop owners feel unimportant because of a lack of support by the brands they carry.
First, it’s not just the Black-owned shops who are being pinched by brand DTC; but if it’s happening to everyone (including good old boys) the situation is ten times as bad for Black owners. This is understood. A Black store owner has to straddle the line of being a Black business and just a business. This dual existence is complex and adds an unneeded layer of stress to the owners. The effort and time it takes to attain an account with a sneaker brand is an accomplishment. To do this as a Black owner, who traditionally lacks funding and access to capital, is a cause for celebration. Unfortunately, celebrating your blackness can also alienate consumers. People will assume that a store is a Black store and won’t patronize the business. the immediate assumption of Black is in the hood is also problematic. Claiming your blackness is difficult. Finding capital is difficult. Operating a business is difficult, but 15 stores?
For years sneaker culture operated out of mom and pop shops and “urban” sneaker chains. adidas and Nike grew to become a billion dollar businesses on the back of Black and Brown neighborhoods.
The 10 Cities In America With The Largest Black Population
- Jackson, MS (Photos)
- Detroit, MI (Photos)
- Birmingham, AL (Photos)
- Miami Gardens, FL (Photos)
- Memphis, TN (Photos)
- Baltimore, MD (Photos)
- Montgomery, AL (Photos)
- New Orleans, LA (Photos)
- Shreveport, LA (Photos)
- Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance), GA
via Roadsnacks.net
I’m listing these cities because in Jazzy’s article a list of the Black-owned shops are given by James Whitner, owner of Social Status. His 4 stores are in North Carolina. He then lists A Ma Maniere (Atlanta), APB (5 locations in South Carolina and Florida), Burn Rubber (Detroit), Succezz (Chicago), RSVP Gallery (Chicago), Puffer Reds (Ypslinti and Wayne, Michigan), Sole Classics (Columbus, Ohio)… I’ll stop there because I want to get to the point. Detroit is the only city represented on the Roadsnacks list. There is a reason why. Brand policies limit the locations where accounts can operate to prevent ‘overlap’.
I’m in Memphis. There are hardly any independent sneaker shops in this city, and zero Black-owned shops. That’s because City Gear is the “urban” vendor here so no other chain can get their foot in the door. We of course have mainstream stores like Hibbett Sports, Foot Locker and Finish Line, but there aren’t any Black owned sneaker shops with accounts. Brands have rightfully limited accounts for strategic reasons, but there is overlap by large chains, so the strategy is a lie.
Want to know the worst part of not having a Black-owned shop in Memphis? Memphis is a Nike town with more Nike employees than anywhere else outside of Portland and there isn’t one flagship sneaker boutique owned by Black people who make up 69% of the city and by default, Black folks make up the majority of employees at Nike. The irony? When a “hyped” drop happens, Memphis doesn’t sniff those releases. That’s crazy to me. I digress…
In Mississippi there is one family owned group of three mom and pop stores. Incredible people, but they aren’t Black. Those stores, Lusso’s and Looking Good are in small towns. They all lost their accounts in 2016. Nike required them to update their stores so they would be considered for a lower tiered Nike account. Those stores were just able to regain accounts. They may have a chance to make it, but I’ve talked about Nike’s unofficial asphyxiation of small retail. It’s an off the record policy of slow death by a “Take This, to Get Those” approach. This happens at bigger retail locations also, but with a larger product mix and more capital, larger stores are able to postpone their inevitable death. In my most recent book I discussed The Sports Authority, and Modells. Companies that have entered bankruptcy and are gone. I explained that it didn’t matter that Modells had adapted digitally, the moment they began competing with Nike’s DTC strategy, their time was limited. When you have to take on 100 Jumpman shoes to get 36 Retro Jordans, your business is broken.
I was behind the scenes when the acquisition of a small chain of stores by a bigger chain took place. Prior to that small chain’s acquisition, I began documenting the closure of mom and pop accounts in my region. I’ve explained in great detail why these store closures happened, but let’s focus on JazzyRae’s work. Her article is an introduction to an uncomfortable discussion on how Nike has engaged in a sort of sneaker apartheid with the Black community. Nike has also created a relationship with the Black consumer akin to Stockholm’s Syndrome. I wrote recently that Timberland had pimped the Black and Brown community for 30 years. I apologized for that comment because I realized Timberland is a White company that crossed over and has never fully understood how to account for the success. The company is also in arguably the Whitest place in America, so when job opportunities arrive the pool of diverse employees is small. This makes it difficult to adapt and become more inclusive. I expect that to change with work from home policies taking shape.
Nike, however, has been a company targeting the Black demographic since the moment Sonny Vaccaro paid Jim Valvano to put Nike basketball shoes on his college team. Nike’s growth is truly synonymous with the domination of the Black athlete. Nike is headed to 50 Billion dollars. Nike has played overseer to a plantation of Black consumers. Those consumers laid the foundation on which the explosive digital growth has taken place and the mainstreaming of sneaker culture has erased calls for accountability from Black and Brown people. JazzyRae just opened the door on an opportunity for sneaker reparations by Nike. The question is will Nike adjust and improve the existing accounts of Black-owned shops and will Nike make an effort to deliver top tiered accounts in the Black cities listed above?
Revolt.tv probably doesn’t care that I have never really visited their site, but they just earned a new fan because @JazzyRae created a manifesto; an interview that should carry with it change. Please take a moment to click through and read that post.
This wouldn’t be an arch-usa.com article without 10 additional important details to discuss:
- No sneaker shop is immune when they have accounts with brands. Nike is a bully. We all need it to eat because we don’t have a choice when the consumer is driven by hype and peer pressure. This means Nike has the edge and your store will suffer because of this. It doesn’t matter the tier.
- COVID-19 has allowed brands to expedite layoffs and implement more detailed DTC strategies. All shops will be hurt by these moves, even the big boys.
- If a sneaker boutique is in a major city, or in a small town, Nike will be asking you to update your store to maintain your account. Do so to keep the dollars flowing; but you damn well better start learning how to sell other brands.
- This update comes at the expense of smaller margins which means that your business will collapse as you incur more debt to maintain your Nike account. An update cost money and “Take This, to Get This” is real.
- Other brands do an extremely poor job of listening to shop owners and delivering better product. Brands who begin to deliver merchandising and better service can win as Nike continues their DTC growth. The Black consumer isn’t digital just yet, so there is a small window for adjustment.
- Other brands have a considerable opportunity if they support smaller chains with merchandising and displays for in-store, but store owners can no longer sit behind the counter and wait for a sale. Create an experience driven retail location. I don’t care if you’re in a one street swamp town.
- Small shop owners have the ability to educate the consumer and build bridges with a market that is underserved. Stop treating the Black consumer as a certainty. Educate them. If you don’t you will remain a slave to Nike and that’s not Nike’s fault.
- The original sneakerheads who love sneaker diversity in their closet and are willing to try non-Nike shoes. The original sneakerhead is a growth area. That means 35-55 year olds have doper collections than these new kids. Everyone better think about this.
- Small accounts are measuring sticks for the brand. If your shop is vital and strong and always demanding product Nike will eventually create a digitally informed brick and mortar in your city and they will eat away at your audience. What will you do to counter this?
- Black store owners and potential Black store owners, Nike is a publicly traded company. Their only loyalty is to the shareholder. This is a business. It’s not personal. If you understand this you might have a chance to survive.
