story

"This has been the greatest roller-coaster experience I've ever had in my … Hey, what's up guys? I'm Derek Curry, owner of Sneaker Politics. I'm Blaine McGowan. I am the Creative Director at Politics. Jalen Gray, Community Outreach".

"Sneaker Politics is a men's boutique. We started in the south. We expanded through Louisiana and then to Texas. The thing that sets Sneaker Politics apart is we vibe with the community. We hang with our customers. They're not just customers. They're friends".

"That's, like, our whole vibe. That's what we pride ourselves on.
Yeah, I think it's really a hangout spot. People come here to talk about shoes, obviously, fashion, sports, music, anything.
The original name for Sneaker Politics was actually Utmost. But then …"

"… I couldn't get anyone to pay attention to me. My friend Deon Point in Boston would help me out. He was, like, holding my hand through this whole thing. And every conversation we had, he would say, 'It's a lot of politics, man. You have to play this sport. You have to go this way. You have to do this'".

"And I heard politics so many times. I said, 'Dude, how about Sneaker Politics is where we go?' So me and Deon Point met on NikeTalk, which I don't tell anyone. But now I guess the world knows".

"Deon calls me on the phone. And then I started asking him questions about Concepts. I'm like, 'How did you get this account? Like, this doesn't exist where I'm at. You think I can make this happen down south?' He said, 'There's nothing going on down south that I know about. Why not?'"

"So the first store I did was in Lafayette, Louisiana. I wanted to do it in New Orleans, but Katrina hit that year. I went to university in Lafayette and I knew Lafayette had a cool vibe and a cool culture, but it wasn't a big city. So I was really nervous about it".

"Vibe started working out great. And then five years later, we came to New Orleans and rest is history. Personally, like I said, growing up in New Orleans, it is a very cultural place, music being like the focal point and Derek kind of hinted, we're rooted in hospitality …"

"… being from the south. So I think strategically just as we expand and move out, we want to take what we already have within us from the cities we come from, whether it be New Orleans, Lafayette, taking that energy and that culture and bringing it to new places and sharing with the world …"

"… what we're used to. It all stems from sneakers, which is incredible because it's just shoes at the end of the day. But it's impacted such a larger thing. To summarise my journey so far with Sneaker Politics without crying is, like, something very hard, man".

"I mean, this has been the greatest roller-coaster experience I've ever had in my life. And I don't like roller coasters, but this has been so amazing, man. I was that kid that was standing in line at stores, trying to get shoes …"

"… and now to be able to turn that around and give it to everyone else in multiple cities. And not only do that, but to provide jobs and opportunities for other people underneath me, I mean, tell me when to stop crying".

"So thanks for stopping by our New Orleans location with Jalen, myself, Blaine, owner, Derek Curry, and this is Talking Shop with Sneaker Politics on the SNKRS App".

Talking Shop: Sneaker Politics Part 1—The Shop 