25 and older Jordan heads

[jwhit]

I'm probably one of the few over 30 Jordan collectors here so I've been around since before Jordan's were shoes. I would never sell a pair of my collection unless I was in dire need of cash which will never happen. I also buy them to wear, if you buy J's just to resale then you're not a sneaker head by far you're simply a money ***** who is doing nothing but disrespecting the shoe game and taking advantage of those who aren't able to camp out for a pair. I will never stop collecting or wearing J's. I'm about that life and this **** goes waaaaaay back for me.

J's or nothing on mines!!!!!

 

[airforce13]

I really don't like people that buy multiple pairs of new releases. And save them. They don't wear them. Why buy them then. In the future their value won't be that incredible. By then teenagers will be rocking some futuristic hover shoes or something

 

[jaysfiend23]

OP...you should've invited that kid behind the counter, and put his hand in the meat slicer.

Trust me I wanted to ESP when he goes I'm an OG Jordan head not like those hypebeast in the mall.he said he listens to tribe and loves and dresses 90's he was a total hype beast just from his whole demeanor.in all honesty True shoe heads have a story for evey Jordan they purchase..real talk non of this beasts now what it's like saving every penny (even lunch money) and walking into any store no lines just getting your shoes..those were the days

 

[v8erman]

Trust me I wanted to ESP when he goes I'm an OG Jordan head not like those hypebeast in the mall.he said he listens to tribe and loves and dresses 90's he was a total hype beast just from his whole demeanor.in all honesty True shoe heads have a story for evey Jordan they purchase..real talk non of this beasts now what it's like saving every penny (even lunch money) and walking into any store no lines just getting your shoes..those were the days

Kid is 18 and acting to be into all that? I get it but its fun messin with little punks knowing i lived through most stuff. Then they pull out the ur just old card cause they got nothin else. Whatever. Dude probably though he would pull one over on u to get ur stuff thinkin hes just old and ill con him out of his "old crap". I know an old guy that almost got duped out of his baseball cards from childhood and lucky for him someone trustworthy stood up. Gotta watch them vultures.

 

[richaveli83]

Im 29 and will be 30 in November. I haven't bought a pair of Jordans since the Olympic 7's from last year and I ended up selling them a few months. I'm getting away from Jordans because literally everybody and their mother is wearing Jordans. I work in a icu and emergency room so most shoes I wear are some beaters. I make great money but I'm really loosing passion for kicks. I've been selling a lot of my collection lately and I really don't miss those kicks.

 

[richaveli83]

Forgot to mention in my last post. Been collecting since 2003. I was raised by a single mother so couldn't get the og jordans when they released in the 90's. After finishing high school and joining the military I had a steady income so I could afford the og's and older retros from 99-03. Now I really only buy foams and lebrons and the occasional air force 1.

 

[matters7]

Imma 27yr old Aussie. Always had a thing for shoes since a youngen, barkleys were my first shoe to get me into collecting, i never really had the money or priorities correct in my life to follow my passion. Now iv got my house and my feet on the steady ground i got into collecting in march and never stopped. Its only been 5 months but iv built up quite a collection in these months after decideding money in the bank isnt making me happy but these shoes are, and have met such a great group of people through this as well which i was lacking in my life. Which gives this collecting (and wearing everything, when i get time to unds) more meaning to me. I collect Jordans, thats my love. yet its getting a little tarnished latly with the way the game is going and all. To me shoes are my life, and give me life through them and the people that love them as well. If only the young kids had the correct view on shoes like when i was young and maybe then i wouldnt have this little thought in my head saying "i dunno how much more j's i can deal with before it gets the best of me and i bail on them"

 

[babymj]

I usually have my retro blk cement 3s and blk/gry 4s at work. I downsized from ~200 to 30-40(maybe 10 are still DS) when everything I had was being retroed.

 

[ucla225]

I'm 29 and I started "wearing" not "collecting" jordans when i was 13. My first pair were my black and blue 13 lows (which I am still in search of them). I've had many Jordans since then and i wore them to hell back when i was younger. As I got older I stopped wearing them out just cuz I wouldn't play in them as much as when I was younger. I went thru a time when I would buy multiple pairs, one to wear and one to keep deadstock (back when retros were easier to purchase). I started selling my deadstock pairs and began searching for those shoes that I couldn't buy when I was younger and buying shoes I really wanted. I have got to say that those extra pairs came thru. I would never sell my collection unless it was for something very important just because I have so much sentimental feeling towards them. Unlike "sneakerheads" today, I was fortunate enough to watch Jordan play and know what inspiration went into each shoe. Each shoe means something to me and  I know I'm not alone on this. Honestly I think it's the responsibilty of us older shoe heads to teach the younger generation what Jordans are all about because the "hypebeast" are killing it for me.

True shoeheads don't sell their shoes they appreciate them too much

 

 

[ucla225]

oh and btw I wear all of my shoes! Shoes are meant to be worn

 

[scollard23]

I really don't like people that buy multiple pairs of new releases. And save them. They don't wear them. Why buy them then. In the future their value won't be that incredible. By then teenagers will be rocking some futuristic hover shoes or something

Wow. Pretty harsh to say you really don't the like people who keep shoes DS lol

I'm guessing you mean you just don't understand why we do that. I'll tell you why I keep some shoes DS and maybe that will help you dislike us less.

First... I could not care less what my shoes are worth. I've been collecting for almost 20 years, had a passion for sneakers for almost 30 years and have never sold a pair, nor do I plan to sell any pairs. So, what my shoes will be worth down the road is meaningless to me.

Second, I don't care what others think of my collection. Sure, it's cool when I can talk/reminisce about sneakers with people who collect also, but until about 2002/2003, when I stumbled upon a message board online, I had absolutely no idea that there were other people who collected sneakers besides me and a friend I went to high school with. My family used to bother me all the time (and still do, even though I'm almost 40)... "Why do you keep all those shoes? Why are they all still in the box?!" It's not something I can explain to the average person, hopefully people on a sneaker forum will get it lol

The reason I personally keep some shoes DS is because of what the shoes mean to me. I have a personal connection with a lot of the shoes in my collection. The main reason being, I had the shoes when I was in high school and beat them into the ground. Back then, once you killed a shoe, that was it. You couldn't get that shoe again. That was a painful realization. So, when Nike first started retro'ing Jordan's in 1994, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Just a few years earlier, I had absolutely destroyed both my OG white/cement and fire red 3's. I mean, they had holes in the soles from playing street ball in them. So, when I was able to get the '94 retro 3's, you could bet your a** I was never going to wear them. You have to remember also, back then, no one knew that shoes would re-release over and over again. When a shoe retro'd, we thought for sure it was a special thing and would never happen again.

I want to keep that feeling of opening a box and seeing a brand new pair of my favorite shoes... forever. Another thing no one realized was that a shoe, even if unworn, would eventually yellow and, many years later, would actually become unwearable. That's why, when I was eventually able to afford it, I would by more than one pair, so I could wear a pair without feeling sick lol

So, a big reason I collect is for the nostalgia of having shoes I had growing up, but the main reason I have a connection to the Jordan's in my collection is the man himself, Micjael Jordan. I witnessed his entire NBA career. I was 11 when he entered the league and watched this guy do unbelievable things, things no one had ever seen or done before (and in many cases, since). But then I watched him stuggle. Struggle to win his first NBA championship. I watched the "Bad Boys" in Detroit literally beat him into the ground. I listened to his critics say he's just an offensive player, that he'll never win a championship. I watched him prove them wrong. I watched every struggle and defeat, I watched ever championship and every highlight in between.

So, when I finally got all the shoes I had in high school, which I originally got because I saw MJ wearing them anyway, I then began collecting Jordan's that I saw him wearing while he created history. All the shoes he wore in every playoff series the Bulls played in, the Olympic 7's, etc.. Basically, if I saw MJ wearing them, I had/have to have them. I'm pissed that I saw a pic of him wearing those white/blue 1's with the elephant print the other day while dunking at his basketball camp... now I have to get those lol

MJ meant so much to me growing up, and still does today, that his shoes, as crazy as it sounds, make me feel connected to his history, and to my own history as well.

Air Jordan's, in many ways, are more than just shoes to me. And that's why I don't wear some of them.

 

[brennanizm]

Gonna keep all my shoes.
Been in the game since 90 (modest collector from 1996-2002 and then again from 08 to now) and have NEVER sold a pair of shoes (if i didn't like 'em, i know plenty of friends
that could use a neat pair of fresh/hardly worn sneakers).
The funny thing aboot me is that i dress more hip now than i have EVER in my adolescence/20's (call me a
30 something moderatebeast). 
I plan on keeping all my shoes and the women i date will have to respect it (even the future wifee...
...The last 4-5 gals i dated knew i was heavy into sneakers and loved that i was soooooo passionate about
acquiring the latest footwear (when they say women notice what you don on your tootsie toes, its not a generalization
to be taken lightly because it can land you dates -- albeit with superficial women... my particular breed of women; the most cosmetic ones
but everybody has a preference). 
Now i have more shoes than i know what to do with... so i always find a reason to wear them; dates, bars/lounges, grandma's crib, shopping for greek yogurt
and breakfast cereal... shheeeeiiiiii - i even wear all my shoes to the gym (random fitness patrons come up to me and say, "Man, you got a different pair of shoes
every gawt damb deigh... what that thang smell like?). 
These so called tween hypebeasts try to show and prove, but i just do a pantless squat and show them some turbo fisting.
LIke...
BYAH!!!!
. 

Likewise. We some old dusty butt-holes...
I started hanging onto my shoes in the late 80s.
Every shoe i picked up since 1992 was/is a size 12 so I've held onto most of those, unless they crumbled.
My wife has known me for years, so she was well aware of my shoe collection.
She would never tell me to stop buying or ask me to empty my shoe (storage) room.
Wifey understands this is a huge part of my life, so she respects it

 

[soleglow]

I really don't like people that buy multiple pairs of new releases. And save them. They don't wear them. Why buy them then. In the future their value won't be that incredible. By then teenagers will be rocking some futuristic hover shoes or something

i bought 3 pairs of black cement 4s cuz its my favorite jordan ever.

One to wear now, one in 20 years and one to be buried in.

 

[skip2mylou23]

I'm 26 I only buy Jordan's that I see my self wearing. Mainly J's ive had as a kid or J's ive always wanted as a kid. I think its a waste of time to resell em. Why buy kicks if u not gonna enjoy em?

To make money?

 

[girlthatsblanco]

I'm 30, married to an amazing woman and have about 115 pairs of shoes. She is cool with my obsession since that is the only thing I spend our extra money on. As of recent I have slowed down due to the obsticle course of buying shoes and the re-release of shoes that I owned for 5 plus years

 

[whiteylikejs]

I'm 40 and sold almost everything in 2011. I got decent prices but I would have made a killing if I had waited to sell until after the Concords fiasco. But who knew? Anyway, I still buy most retros just to keep up on quality and sizing. I sell most of them immediately, sometimes at retail, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. It's a fun hobby. I don't miss collecting, it's nice not to have shoe boxes all over the freaking place...

 

[crh1979]

Great thread and I love reading all the stories, some very similar to mine. Good to know I'm not alone.

34 year old here. I've been a fan of shoes since 4th grade. Parents divorced and I grew up with my mom and she was a teacher in a small *** town in Wyoming. I rarely got new shoes and when I did they were like Airwalks or Vans or yes even LA Gear. I always saw the other kids in Jordans and Nikes and I wanted them so bad. I remember my first pair of nice shoes, Reebok Pumps, some Omni-Lites. It was a great day. I had Air Mowabbs, OG 180 Airs (Dad bought me 2 pairs for track), and these:

View media item 544078
Who remembers those? Air Trainer TW Lite IIs, Totally Washable...LOL I ran those into the ground.

Guys on our high school basketball team had Vs and VIs and I dreamed of owning a pair of those. I was fascinated by the littlest things like toggles, the details of the Jumpman on them and the materials they used.

First pair of Jordans was the Shadow Grey 10s, got them for Christmas and I beat the hell outta those things. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't' wear those things.

Once I graduated high school in 97 and was on my own I didn't have the money to get myself the shoes. I wore whatever I could afford. When I met my girlfriend (now my wife) in 1998 and she was working at Footlocker she bought me the Hyper Blue Air Max Plus and that was one of my favorite shoes of all time. They got stolen from my at my fraternity (and I've been wanting some to replace them ever since). All through college never really picked up Jordans I was grabbing other stuff as my love for shoes never died.

Fast forward to post-college and I have a good job (officer in the USAF) and I can start trying to make up for lost time and all the stuff I missed out on when I was a kid. I start searching the net and eBay for past releases. Slowly I start picking up the stuff that I wanted for the longest time when I was a kid. I wear everything that I buy. If I notice that I'm not wearing it then I will sell it or trade it for something that will get more use. I've branched out a little bit into New Balances and Saucony and picked up some KDs and LeBrons here and there but there are still a few Jordans that I am always looking out for.

Met all kinds of great people. I enjoy tracking down stuff and the feeling you get when you open that box and lace them up for the first time is great.

I pick up the kids sizes for my little girl (3 years old) and my son gets her hand me downs. If he wants them, all my shoes will be his at some point. If not I am going to make some kid somewhere very happy.

Don't think I will ever "retire" maybe just slow down and be much more selective. I've started to be really picky in what I pick up now.

 

[solewoman]

im over 25
I wear all my shoes whenever I can.
I would never sell...maybe my AF1's and dunks though.

I continue to buy even though i keep telling myself to stop. lol

 

[tectonichk007]

im 31 and ive been collecting nikes since highschool, shuffling peoples driveway for 10 bucks each to get my first pair of raptor 7s, couldn't afford the 11s and the 12s back in highschool so once i got my **** straight, i started collecting everything i wanted back in highschool and college. on my wedding day i wore my concord and i got my wife a pair of concord for the wedding as well, although we only wore ours for an hour, i felt like it was one of the proudest moment lol, i keep telling myself to stop getting new J's because i rarely have any chances to wear them ( i wear a suit/smart casual to work from mon- fri ) lol.

 

[pjeung]

i'm 31, been wearing jordans since elementary school.. i rocked the crap out of my jordans all throughout high school (was a spoiled kid, parents bought me all my pairs growing up).  I didn't really take care of my sneakers like i should have.  Either threw away or gave away all the beat up jordans i had.  Back then, there was no ebay, or even an inkling to try and sell my shoes.  That thought never ever crossed my mind back then.  Do i wish i would have taken better care of my sneakers so i would have something to show for all those years i got them? Of course, but i didn't... and because i was so careless i have nothing to show for that time period.  

I took a small break during college, but I started to collect again after, with my own money this time.  I know this might not make sense to some, but i rock less valuable sneakers and keep the jordans DS in the box. I'm not trying to make a quick buck, i'm really just trying to build a collection.  Maybe it's the fact that i have nothing from my childhood left to show as far as sneakers that has made me this way..I would love to rock a pair and stock a pair, but i'm a family man now and it just doesn't seem like a financially sensible thing to do.  

Long story short, currently i collect all the iconic jordans (to me atleast) and rock whatever i think looks fresh but doesn't necessarily belong in my personal jordan collection.  I don't think i'm too old to rock jordans, as i pretty much dress the same way as i did in high school.  Obviously, there is a lot more formal attire now compared to back then, but when i'm dressed casual i'm rocking sneakers, that's just how it is for me.   

 

[over30andwhat]

I remember begging my mother to buy my a pair of infrared vi's back around '91, that's when my liking for sneakers really developed but I never really collected them. I would only have 3-4 pairs of trainer/sneakers at a time. It's only in the last 3-4 years that my collection has ramped up, I probably have 70+ pairs of kicks mostly made up of Jordan's, air maxes and flyknits, at 32 I know I'm considered too old by some but I wear my sneakers and don't see myself stopping any time soon. I do however find a lot of these retro+ colourways a bit tacky and nike is really milking the jordan line right now.

 

[tigershox]

It's been awhile since I last posted... I use to to be called ALLSHOX and probably was one of the earliest members on NT but then I got married and had 2 kids, stopped playing bball for 8 years. I am almost 39 and started to play ball again last fall. I had not bought Js since the AJ 23 and the CDP 6/17 in 2008 but once I started to play I wanted something new and bought the AJ 2012 System and for someone who loves Js and has about 20 pairs, the AJ 2012 was the 1st pair I wore playing. Since last fall, I started to buy kicks for performance needs, meaning less retro Js (only got the bred 4s on a restock on FNL). I've gotten Kd V, 2 pairs of Kobe 8s, and a pair of Hyperposite. I just got a pair of Lebron X that was on sale on Nike.com and waiting to get those in the mail this week. Why am I here? I guess because I get older, priorities have changed but my love for Js and sneakers have not and that's what's great about this sneaker culture we live in. It's great to see older NTers here, and I hope some that were here back in the early 2000s come back again and share their stories.

 

[vig09]

I'm 40 , only buy running sneakers and Jordan retro for nostalgia , just copped the fire red 3 because I remember my pops buying these for me in 88 and than we went to see coming to America ,,,,,,great day indeed

 

[kennyisdead911]

Just turned 28 and my collection has never been larger. I would get maybe one to two pair of jordans a year growing up. Fixed computers back in the day for shoe money. Who knew that computer background would still help me cop sneakers today? Anyway, I own my own business and have to wear work clothes 6-7 days a week so any time I can, I'm rocking my favorites.

 

[auskicks]

Im 37. My first ever pair were cement 4's when they first released. I stilll play 3 times a week and wear all my shoes in rotation. I go for alot of the OG jordans and get a few of the new colorways too. I have also got into the lebrons, kd and kobes. I also love flight 89's and have got my hands on as many of them as I can. I wear 3's and 4's casually and usually only wear my basketball boots for playing in. Being in Australia the game isnt as bad as the US. I try to cop online where I can to try and save a few bucks. I keep saying I will slow down but it never happens. Theres always something coming out that grabs my interest.