The Dream
Donation protected
Entrepreneurial success is not just something that I see myself pursuing and achieving in the distant future. It is something that I feel is at the core of my being as a practical life skill and something that I have been involved with and in the pursuit of for years already as a part of my involvement in the Chicago sneaker community.
I have been selling sneakers on my own since 2014 and have made a lot of solid business relationships already. I have garnered referrals and several repeat customers through sales of exclusives and restoration of that favorite pair of kicks that you’re just not ready to give up yet. I have gained all my knowledge through experience and self-motivation, always operating on a system of integrity in business.
The monetary goal I set here will go toward inventory, a well-run, closely monitored and professional business website; and the ultimate goal of a brick and mortar establishment, which will be the only one of its kind on the north side of Chicago (if accomplished in the foreseeable future). My intention is to combine consignment, exclusives, and restoration into one single storefront with an accompanying website to legitimize my business beyond the world of social media and as a contributing member of the sneaker community that has become so integral to myself.
For a lot of people, sneakers are just the last thing they put on before they head out for the day – they slide them off by the heels when they get home, leave them by the door and step quickly into them on their way out – a mindless cycle. But for a lot of other people, sneakers represent a community and a culture that is farther reaching than the neighborhoods we live in, the schools we go to, the sports we play, or the implications of our last names. Sneakers quite literally provide a common ground for all of that stuff. If you think about it, there is a nice metaphor in there somewhere with the fact that sneakers, no matter what they look like, serve the same basic purpose for everyone…they protect us, and they allow us to do what we love. I see sneakers as the ultimate unifier. I might need a pair for baseball and the kid sitting next to me in class needs a pair for his basketball game. Meanwhile, the girl he’s texting is looking for a pair that she can go out in on a Friday night and her brother needs a new pair for the skate park on the weekend and a different pair for the track meet coming up next Tuesday. None of that stuff is the same, it’s all pretty different but we’re all looking for the same thing – we’re looking to be able to do what we love, to pursue a passion. While we’re looking, we want something that is going to show a little bit about us without having to say much of anything. Sneakers speak for themselves but they also open the door to a world of questions about you; and anyone who is tight to the sneaker community recognizes and respects that.
I’m a firm believer in businesses that give back to their community and as a purebred Chicagoan, I’m all too aware of the homelessness in my city. Like I said before, sneakers are the unifier, and if afforded the opportunity to launch my business, I intend to commit to a regular “Shoe Drive”. Inspired by the concept of the Midnight Run and its fulfillment of a basic human need through random acts of kindness, I want to be able to deliver sneakers to the homeless in my community. Free of charge, sized to fit correctly, and fulfilling the basic need for protection and warmth…I’ll drive throughout neighborhoods of Chicago with sneakers to give out to people who need them.
I hit the jackpot when I got involved in the sneaker culture – something I love, a skill that I possess and am constantly seeking to develop, and a scene that isn’t going away any time soon! Thank you for taking the time to read the beginning of my story and considering taking a generous part in its continuation.
I have been selling sneakers on my own since 2014 and have made a lot of solid business relationships already. I have garnered referrals and several repeat customers through sales of exclusives and restoration of that favorite pair of kicks that you’re just not ready to give up yet. I have gained all my knowledge through experience and self-motivation, always operating on a system of integrity in business.
The monetary goal I set here will go toward inventory, a well-run, closely monitored and professional business website; and the ultimate goal of a brick and mortar establishment, which will be the only one of its kind on the north side of Chicago (if accomplished in the foreseeable future). My intention is to combine consignment, exclusives, and restoration into one single storefront with an accompanying website to legitimize my business beyond the world of social media and as a contributing member of the sneaker community that has become so integral to myself.
For a lot of people, sneakers are just the last thing they put on before they head out for the day – they slide them off by the heels when they get home, leave them by the door and step quickly into them on their way out – a mindless cycle. But for a lot of other people, sneakers represent a community and a culture that is farther reaching than the neighborhoods we live in, the schools we go to, the sports we play, or the implications of our last names. Sneakers quite literally provide a common ground for all of that stuff. If you think about it, there is a nice metaphor in there somewhere with the fact that sneakers, no matter what they look like, serve the same basic purpose for everyone…they protect us, and they allow us to do what we love. I see sneakers as the ultimate unifier. I might need a pair for baseball and the kid sitting next to me in class needs a pair for his basketball game. Meanwhile, the girl he’s texting is looking for a pair that she can go out in on a Friday night and her brother needs a new pair for the skate park on the weekend and a different pair for the track meet coming up next Tuesday. None of that stuff is the same, it’s all pretty different but we’re all looking for the same thing – we’re looking to be able to do what we love, to pursue a passion. While we’re looking, we want something that is going to show a little bit about us without having to say much of anything. Sneakers speak for themselves but they also open the door to a world of questions about you; and anyone who is tight to the sneaker community recognizes and respects that.
I’m a firm believer in businesses that give back to their community and as a purebred Chicagoan, I’m all too aware of the homelessness in my city. Like I said before, sneakers are the unifier, and if afforded the opportunity to launch my business, I intend to commit to a regular “Shoe Drive”. Inspired by the concept of the Midnight Run and its fulfillment of a basic human need through random acts of kindness, I want to be able to deliver sneakers to the homeless in my community. Free of charge, sized to fit correctly, and fulfilling the basic need for protection and warmth…I’ll drive throughout neighborhoods of Chicago with sneakers to give out to people who need them.
I hit the jackpot when I got involved in the sneaker culture – something I love, a skill that I possess and am constantly seeking to develop, and a scene that isn’t going away any time soon! Thank you for taking the time to read the beginning of my story and considering taking a generous part in its continuation.
Organizer
Elias Hernandez
Organizer
Chicago, IL
