A look at the selection of shoes that are on display and available for purchase at Sneaker Garden inside Resorts World Las Vegas Friday March 18, 2022.
Monday, March 28, 2022 | 2 a.m.
As he walked through the shopping mall at Resorts World Las Vegas, Avrom Bigham wheeled a suitcase behind him. In it were two pairs of sneakers — a set of red and white Air Jordan 3 Retros and a tandem made by Kanye West’s Yeezy brand.
Bigham, a visitor from Louisiana, planned to sell the shoes at Sneaker Garden, an upscale sneaker store.
With colorful shoes and other streetwear stacked nearly to the ceiling and on racks, the store, which opened along with the $4.3 billion resort last summer, is a haven for sneakerheads.
“I grew up with sneaker culture,” said Bigham, a 32-year-old entrepreneur from Shreveport. “I grew up with Jordans and the Allen Iverson shoes, all of them. It’s a therapeutic thing for me. I have about 50 pairs of shoes. I might sell them or I might only wear them once and keep them, it all depends.”
On this day, Bigham didn’t get the price he was looking for, so he decided to keep the shoes.
When it comes to Jordans and Yeezys, two of the hottest brands on the sneaker market, people buy and sell shoes for hundreds of dollars, sometimes much more.
Corey Dunn, manager of the Sneaker Garden, said it’s not uncommon for people to attempt to sell shoes to the store, and the practice is welcomed. It’s just one way Sneaker Garden gets its inventory.
There’s also a Las Vegas supplier who buys and sells wholesale.
“He might get 150 pairs at one time, bring them to us, then we sell to the consumer,” Dunn said. “We get a lot of tourists, obviously, but that’s cool because we tend to get a vibe of what this market doesn’t have and where sneaker culture in Las Vegas stacks up to other cities.”
The most expensive shoes in the store were a pair of yellow Fear of God Nike high-tops, which were going for $4,500.
Out of reach of even the tallest customer on the wall was a Nike Dunk Grateful Dead Bears shoe, an eye-catching yellow and aqua sneaker with fuzzy yellow trim. They were on sale for just over $1,000 per pair.
The Fear of God shoes were displayed inside a glass case by the register, but customers can touch and handle shoes. Customers are invited to try them on, even the Fear of Gods.
One customer came in to try on a pair that he admitted he probably wouldn’t purchase because he planned to buy from an online retailer.
Dunn didn’t seem to mind. He’s a self-proclaimed sneakerhead who appreciates sneaker culture.
“I think we have our niche in this market,” said Dunn, who wore a pair of Jordan 4s at his wedding a few years ago. “We get a wide variety of people and a wide variety of ages here. A lot of people lock sneakers into an age bracket, but these days, everybody wears sneakers.”
People don’t seem to be afraid to spend on sneakers, either. Consumers spent nearly $32 billion on sneakers last year, said Andy Polk of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America.
As Dunn talked about shoe consumer trends, a regular customer — Raj Kumar from Austin, Texas — came in looking for a fresh pair of size 13s. A frequent visitor to Las Vegas, Kumar likes to have something new on when he hits the Las Vegas club scene.
In the past, Dunn said, he’s even delivered shoes to Kumar at Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World.
“I come to Vegas once per month and I buy new sneakers every time I’m here,” Kumar said. “I’m always just looking for something fun to go out in. With a nice pair of sneakers, you can wear a pair of jeans and a shirt and you’re dressed up. It’s a good way to show your fashion.”
Sneaker Garden, which also has locations in Hollywood and West Hollywood in Southern California, is owned by SK Venture Group, a firm started by entrepreneur Shyon Keoppel.
One of Keoppel’s friends is Jared Garcia, an executive with Zouk Group who works on a lot of nightlife projects at Resorts World.
“He said I should look at putting a shoe store in Resorts World, so we looked at it and it made sense for us,” Keoppel said. “It’s been really good. Business has been consistent. When Vegas is busy, we’re busy.”
As for what’s hot at Sneaker Garden, Air Jordans — the Michael Jordan-themed line that made its debut in 1985 — always seem to be popular. But the Yeezy brand, a collaboration between West and Adidas, has been gaining ground.
Rapper Travis Scott also has a line of Nike Dunk shoes that Dunn said are popular with social media influencers and celebrities.
A number of Las Vegas Raiders players have shopped at the store, Dunn said.
“I think a big part of why sneakers are so popular is the exclusivity,” Dunn said. “All the Travis Scott shoes are very popular because they’re hard to find. A lot of celebrities and influencers are wearing them. (National Basketball League star) Luka Doncic wore a pair into the arena the other day. In my role, I have to be really on top of what’s hot.”
Sneaker Garden is likely to have whatever the hot shoe is. That is, unless another sneakerhead has already bought them.
“It’s hard to stay stocked,” Dunn said. “It’s a fun culture. Sneakers are for everybody.”
