To Those Who Remember, What was the Sneaker Game like in the early to mid 1990s?

MAN LMAO! I started working at that Shiekh shortly after. Ended up getting 2 pairs that day and Moms was on the news.


senor chang said:
i don't really think Celebrities TV actors really influence me to buy kick. I only wanted them cuz some of my favorite players were wearing them at the time on tv or cards/magazine. Air Jordans, Grant hills,, Pennys, Pippens, Griffey, zoom turf, foamposite, Silver Total Foamposite, Air max upempo, Flightposite, etc were all purchase because of it

Buying Shoes was so much easier back then lol..Just about everythang was on sale, the rack, or outlet.

My first pair of Air Jordan were the shadow X pass down to me by my aunt after she bought the 11. I still remember the size. It was a 7.5. She got it on sale at Florin Mall for 55 bucks.

My first pair as a kid that I bought with my own money was one of these shoes. Can't remember which came out first.
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What I did to to help me finance these shoes were cut grass for my neighborhood to finance these shoes, saved up money by not eating at lunch, and money from like birthdays and new years cuz momz wasn't spending 150 on no kicks. Gave me an ear full.

Eastbay/ Slam Magazine were my main source to know what shoes were coming out. Alot of times I was buying the on sale shoes while other kids were wearing the newest models :\...Like kids were wearing the newest Jordan 19 model while I order a pair of 12 for 49.99. Had to get my uncles and aunt to order it for me since i didn't have a credit card/bank account. I sure as hell am not asking my mom lol...I don't know if any of you guys remember but when the XI black/red originally release news outlets were calling them gang affiliate shoes. I had given my money to my uncle to buy and when he showed up with them my mom try to make him return it :smh:....but he didn't. Just kept it for me until I was able to sneak it in my house.

Around the first retro 11, thing started to get crazy. Spacejam, Columbia, and Concord copped without any problem or line up. When the Cool Grey released it was mayhem. Never seen anything like it. Dudes were getting shot/killed/robbed at gun point. Me and my uncle was at Florin Mall and was scared to death. If NTers were at that release they will tell you it was crazy. If I remember correctly, gethigh420 gethigh420 was there also. He'll tell you
View media item 1172586Then when the Black/red 11 retro, that was the first time I see dudes camping out for shoes. The hype was crazy too. Bringing tents and camping gear and camping outside of Arden Fair Mall :lol:
Around this time, I found NT. NT and Air-Jordans.com became my source of info....Peep the sign :wink:


Even though I have much more to see, I'll end it here...didn't mean for my comment to go this long.
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SEND ONE said:
It truly was a beautiful time.

Seeing ball players wear certain shoes and then walking by your local spots everyday after school hoping to see them in the window. No months of hype building, no lines, no hassles. You wanted a pair of shoes, you bought them and that was that.

If you grew up in places like NYC, Footlockers were pretty much nonexistent. The beauty of mom and pop shops is that the owners and/or family members ran the shop. You develope relationships with these ppl. I don't think I paid retail or tax on a pair of shoes throughout the entire 90's. Not to mention the discos and freebies you could talk yourself into if you were spending g's at a time.

Another fun part was the hunt. No internet updates to give you a heads up on where to find certain shoes. If you were into a shoe like the AF1 that had so many c/w's it seemed like some colors were exclusive to certain boroughs, traveling to BK, Uptown etc just to come back around the way with a shoe no one had seen before was priceless.

I truly feel sorry for young ppl who genuinely love shoes now a days. Damn near 20 different c/w's of every sig dropping every other week. Too many hoops and hurdles just for a pair of shoes.
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Exactly man....i remember my man fronted (admitted later) about getting a pair of air alpha forces with the soft arches and strap (barkleys) in like 92.
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  they came out like 88.  said he copped them on a trip to PA.........really copped them at some spot in yonkers when he went to see his pops for like 25 bucks .....smh
 
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^^^

They never really retroed those did they?

All the retros had a higher cut if I'm remembering right?
 
^^^ 

Nah at least i dont recall.  When my boy got em they were already some years old but in fresh condition
 
I remember going to stores and they would have signs under the shoes saying "Worn by Shawn Kemp" or "Worn by Grant Hill" :lol:
 
i remember being able to go up to Wenner's old story in Houston they would have all the kicks kinda like SEARS.

Never had to wait or stand in line miss those days

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i remember only one or 2 of the "rich" kids in school would actually have Jordans or any high end Nikes. Born in '77 i remember being in 5th grade when i first saw the black cement jordan 3s. i was bugging out because i had never seen such strange sneakers. a year later i fell in love with the cement 4s. i still remember the 4s had a tag that said they were washable. i tried to get my mom to get me a pair based on that fact but she wasn't going to spend $115 on a pair of sneakers. back in the day all the shoes would be on the shelves for months. i remember waiting until MJ's bday for the new numbered jordans after saving money for months and keep them for at least 6 months. it stayed like that through the 90's and early 2000s. i love telling the story of how i went to a mall the day the Spacejams first came out (March '01) and walked right into the Feet First store and the Footlocker to buy my pairs with barely a line.
 
dexterwiggle dexterwiggle

Son the SPOTS you just named. Jewman, Army Navy, Tents and Trails?! That took me back.

Don't know now I forgot about Avias either. I really wish they refreshed the line now as a collab at a time when that seems like the best way to bring back a smaller brand. They tried in like 03-04 but they stuck to one model in a few basic colorways and they say on shelves at David Z forever.

I remember them being huge from like 87-89, especially the ones with the lace bridge on the tongue and the ankle strap.

Same time frame was when the Alpha Force, Air Force 3s, Air Assaults, and solo Flights were like the illest non jordan you could rock. Jordans were dope but didn't really take off until the IIIs came along. Before that it was a hierarchy of Forces with the force logo on the tongue. If you were really ballin you had Air Force IIIs or IVs. If you were just kinda doin it you had the Air Delta Force. If you could find the black/White/grey pair it was something special. If you were kinda broke, but not broke enough for Fayva specials or McGregors you copped the Sky Forces. No air in the sole but they were technically Nikes.

I patiently waited and rocked whatever off brand stuff until i got a pair of white/grey delta forces for my birthday. All my friends were rocking Jordan IVs but I was happy to just have something.
 
They tried in like 03-04 but they stuck to one model in a few basic colorways and they say on shelves at David Z forever.

WORD.  was hoping for more models...was a big Drexler fan.

and those Solo flights maaaaan.....remember being on the 55 bus on my way to school, talking about the stretch and bob show the night before and my man had these fake jordan 7 looking joints on (hating)  them solo flights were hard

........fayva lol had the olympians or the jox joints i think
 
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@PanaRicanRetro

yo on some none sneaker ish Tent & trail had those HH Browns w/ Gore-Tex.
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  (thanks to Brooklyn cats) way better than Eastlands lol
 
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DEXTERWIGGLE said:
They tried in like 03-04 but they stuck to one model in a few basic colorways and they say on shelves at David Z forever.

WORD.  was hoping for more models...was a big Drexler fan.


and those Solo flights maaaaan.....remember being on the 55 bus on my way to school, talking about the stretch and bob show the night before and my man had these fake jordan 7 looking joints on (hating)  them solo flights were hard

........fayva lol had the olympians or the jox joints i think
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Huge drexler fan as well. Avias were definitely appreciated!
Also remember basketball trading cards and the kicks that were on em :smokin
 
PanaRicanRetro said:
dexterwiggle dexterwiggle

Son the SPOTS you just named. Jewman, Army Navy, Tents and Trails?! That took me back.

Don't know now I forgot about Avias either. I really wish they refreshed the line now as a collab at a time when that seems like the best way to bring back a smaller brand. They tried in like 03-04 but they stuck to one model in a few basic colorways and they say on shelves at David Z forever.

I remember them being huge from like 87-89, especially the ones with the lace bridge on the tongue and the ankle strap.

Same time frame was when the Alpha Force, Air Force 3s, Air Assaults, and solo Flights were like the illest non jordan you could rock. Jordans were dope but didn't really take off until the IIIs came along. Before that it was a hierarchy of Forces with the force logo on the tongue. If you were really ballin you had Air Force IIIs or IVs. If you were just kinda doin it you had the Air Delta Force. If you could find the black/White/grey pair it was something special. If you were kinda broke, but not broke enough for Fayva specials or McGregors you copped the Sky Forces. No air in the sole but they were technically Nikes.

I patiently waited and rocked whatever off brand stuff until i got a pair of white/grey delta forces for my birthday. All my friends were rocking Jordan IVs but I was happy to just have something.
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Or Court Forces :lol:

I will say one thing though. Dudes with MONEY bought Delta Forces. They went through them ***** mad quick because the Nike on the back would come off so easily.

I remember the same thing being an issue with BIG NIKES.

Still mad at what they did to the Assault Retro. That is such a beautiful sneaker otherwise.

I loved so many Nike ball shoes back then. The Air Flight 89 (the high top). The Solo Flight 89. And yes, the Air Force IV/STS. Another one where I loved the Orange. And the Green.

Damn I forgot about Avias. My man Kevin Willis wore them I believe. I was a big Atlanta Hawks fan.

I remember the Adias "Ewings". The Attitude model. Which I just copped the retro of. I remember playing ball against a team with some ILL patent leather Forums (I believe).

Spot-Bilt X Press. Word to Xavier McDaniel.

I remember the Converse Weapon and all of it's colors and the players that repped them. CONS to a lesser degree.

I remember the Reebok BB5600 being all over NBA floors and me trying to find a pair.

I already mentioned the Brooks, Etonic etc.
 
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Nako XL said:
Did things actors and celebrities like Will Smith, Corey from Boy Meets World, and Jerry Seinfeld wear really influence your purchases?

Did seeing Jordans on tv make you want to go out and buy them more, were you even up on J's like that?

Paging @illphillip
and other old *** NTers :lol:

I'm in my late twenties but I recognize that I didn't pay for a pair of shoes by myself until the Jordan 12s or 13s dropped (I was on mom's money.)

What was the game like going into stores back then?
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Ahh, the early 90's - where it all started for me. We were influenced by athletes back then and not celebrities. Things have really switched these days.

As far as what it was like in stores, well you walked in and bought whatever you wanted. The only shoe I ever remember selling out quickly was the Black/Red XI and even then no one lined up before the store opened.
 
Also, there were really no "release dates". I mean I'm sure there were, but nothing that anyone cared about or kept up with. There was no internet so the only way you knew a shoe was releasing was by actually walking in and seeing the shoe on shelves (or seeing it in SLAM/Eastbay).

I first saw the Concord XI's sitting on the check out counter at FA, they were going to release a few days later and they blew my freaking mind.
 
Nako XL said:
 
Did things actors and celebrities like Will Smith, Corey from Boy Meets World, and Jerry Seinfeld wear really influence your purchases?

Did seeing Jordans on tv make you want to go out and buy them more, were you even up on J's like that?

Paging @illphillip and other old *** NTers
laugh.gif


I'm in my late twenties but I recognize that I didn't pay for a pair of shoes by myself until the Jordan 12s or 13s dropped (I was on mom's money.)

What was the game like going into stores back then?
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To this....no. Naming those people shows your age, not to pick on you. Why do I say this? Because I wanted the shoes because of the athletes maybe? I was a sports fan as a kid and still am now. Why did I love Barkleys, Jordans, Pippens, etc. I was a basketball fan. Same thing for Bo Jacksons, Barry Sanders etc. That's what drove the interest in shoes for me. This along with wanting their jerseys and posters. It's that simple. I wasn't a game. It wasn't hype. It wasn't 50 colors of one damn shoe. It was love for your favorite athlete and not what you can buy a whole bunch of and resell for 3x the retail price. Couple that with Weiden and Kennedy and you have people wanting a closet full of what they are hocking on tv. It was the golden era of shoes and the sports era created that at the time. It's that simple. As far as the entertainers you mentioned, they were fans too. Why else do you think they wore the shoes?
 
^^^  from what i recall it was btwn the blk/red & the columbia 11's when cats started getting a little antsy about copping.  my mans girl worked in NTNY (early) figured i can mosey on in and on both shoes....gone.  at that time my jeans plus connect moved to basics in co-op (didnt know) then came back to jeans plus on tremont....it was on.  wht red 13s were like a month early and i turned heads hooping in them early.

all in all it just wasnt a sneaker "game" you just copped, wore them, clean them and stack up.    fitted hats were on lock too.  Minor lg joints (and army jackets/carhartts) from Franks  before fordham had a million hat stores
 
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