Sneakerheads | Seattle's collectors put shoes on a pedestal — at great expense

After a long day at work, Tommy Kidd doesn't just kick off his sneakers. He brushes off any dirt or scuff marks, inserts shoe trees to prevent any creases and places them neatly in their shoebox — beside some 70 other pairs including Nike Blazers, Air Max 90s and Air Force 1s.

"I can be pretty intense sometimes," said Kidd, 25. "I'd sometimes spend an hour just cleaning one pair."

Kidd is a sneakerhead: a passionate collector for whom sneakers aren't merely footwear, but a work of art.

The sneakerhead trend — rooted in hip-hop and skater cultures, and promoted by shoe manufacturers — isn't new, but it has kept a low profile in Seattle. That's begun to change thanks to a growing crop of specialty boutiques and the arrival last month of Sneaker Pimps, a national traveling sneaker tour that stopped at the Showbox.

Goods, a popular spot for Seattle sneaker junkies, has been catering to the community since 2003. Split into a boutique and skate shop, it carries many brands including Vans and Nike and has customers ranging from Seattle locals to European tourists.

When the Nike Dunk High Premium SB MF Dooms arrived at Goods in July, 60 skater kids, moms and sneakerheads lined up with their lounge chairs and sleeping bags for two days before it released. Although most of them knew that only a lucky 30 would be able to purchase the $125 pair, they waited eagerly at the storefront praying that there may still be one pair left for them.

"It sold out right away," said Paul Williams, co-owner of Goods. "After the staff and special, special friends got a hold of them, only 30 were left. And it went to the first 30 in line."

The hobby is expensive. Kidd, who lives in downtown Seattle, bought Air Jordan Grapes for $230 and didn't settle for just one pair.

"Only four stores in Washington got the shoes," Kidd said. "I bought one online through a pre-sale, one at Niketown and one online after that. And I still haven't worn any of them." Kidd's income as a resident manager for the YMCA doesn't always support the $500 a month he spends on his collection. So he earns extra money by taking second jobs or selling sneakers on Craigslist and MySpace.

"I would buy 10 or 11 pairs of limited shoes and then sell them," Kidd said.

Jennifer Wang, 23, of Seattle's University District, always loved sneakers because she "loved sports, art, and technology as a kid and sneakers gracefully brought all those elements together." And although she adores her 15 pairs of basketball sneakers, she spends less than $150 per month on sneakers. So she created sneakerology101.com, a Web site for the frugal sneaker addict.

"I wanted it to be a resource for anyone who was interested in sneakers and find what they are looking for online," said Wang, who buys shoes on eBay that are harder to find, such as Nike Foamposites.

Such trading bothers purists like Raymond Chen, 26.

"People used to buy sneakers because they love them," Chen said. "Now it's like people buy sneakers to make money out of them."

Chen, an engineer from Shoreline, owns about 120 pairs of sneakers and spends about $100 a month on his hobby. If there are a number of shoes releasing within the same month, he spends more.

For the most part, Seattle's sneakerheads are in it for the love of the shoe.

"There's something about wearing a pair of shoes that feels real good," Williams said. "And some people do a lot of other things and spend their money on drugs and booze — at least we spend our money on sneakers."

Emily Tan is a freelance writer.