Black culture and influence made sneakers an invaluable element to any wardrobe, but only a handful of Black retail owners are benefitting from the trend. - NBCBLK
At the same time, there is a harsh reality: While Black culture has made sneakers an invaluable element to any wardrobe and Black consumers are at the heart of that financial tide, Black retailers of the coveted items are hard to find.
“It’s a white boys’ club, like most things,” said James Whitner, a Black man who has carved out a successful niche with boutique apparel and sneakers stores in several cities. “There are people aware of it, but their privilege doesn’t force them to have to change it.”Whitner’s business has evolved from an apparel and sneaker shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, to several boutiques throughout the East Coast for his company, The Whitney Group.
Whitner maintained his first store for five years, but he made a change in 2011 that took his business into the stratosphere, he said. “My first store was called Flava Factory. That name was very Black, very urban,” he said. So he changed it to Social Status. “And all of a sudden, the opportunities started to change. From that point on, the business has just exploded.”
“Resources are required to be successful,” Whitner said. “And not many of us have the resources or the business savvy, or the understanding of what it takes to actually win in this industry. Starting when you’re disadvantaged is hard.”“Sneakers have a history with hip-hop, Russell Simmons and Run DMC and the influence of their relationship with Adidas and popularizing sneakers and sneaker culture,” Ball said.
Nike, the behemoth athletic brand, plays a huge role because of its universal popularity, he said. It alone can determine a store’s profitability and existence. The shoe brand has implemented a direct-to-customer element that cuts out many retailers. It has also become more selective over which stores sell its products, often focusing on its own retail stores instead. On top of that, Nike is producing fewer shoes in recent years to drive demand even further.
“I wish StAART was around when I got into the business,” said Jennifer Ford, owner of the sneaker boutique Premium Goods in the Rice Village section of Houston. Seventeen years ago, she became the only Black female proprietor of a sneaker store in the country that sold all the major brands like Nike, Nike’s Jordan Brand, Adidas and New Balance.
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