Around Boston, you can find people with a secret. Stashed behind closet doors, piled in stairwells, peeking out from under beds, the secret reveals itself: sneakers. Some people can’t get enough. Different colors, different cuts, different years — yup, a stunning collection of sneakers can have a cachet similar to that of a stash of vintage wine. The footishists, as we’ll call them, have hundreds of sneakers, perhaps enough to wear a different pair every day of the year.
Craig Leonard, owner of Allston Beat, says he has a few dozen customers who buy a new pair of sneakers every week. With 250 styles and lines from Diesel to Adidas, Puma to Saucony, Ben Sherman to London’s Gola (prices average $65 to $80), Allston Beat, which has been outfitting Boston’s sneaker hogs in iconic kicks for more than 10 years, could be considered an enabler.
The goods there and elsewhere are certainly tempting. Today’s sneakers are a cut above. Colorful, playful, stylish, and — rare in the footwear field — comfortable, fun sneakers have taken hold of American tootsies. Paired with a skirt, jeans, or suit, a pair of retro summer sneakers can change a look from tomboy to trendy to just plain relaxed.
But it’s not just about cut and style. Color is also key. " Look at people’s feet, and mainly they’re wearing sneakers with colors now, " notes Tarek Hassan, a buyer at the Tannery, which sells more than 220 sneaker styles — including Adidas, Saucony, Nike, New Balance, Royal Elastic, and Converse (prices range from $65 to $300). " We have black patent leather, yellow patent leather, lavender, orange, purple; colors are very important. " As are patterns. Black-and-white-checked Vans have witnessed a resurgence, thanks to skaters’ foothold on collective cool, owing in part to recent movies like Dogtown and Z-Boys. Le Foot Sportif in Harvard Square sells a pair of black-and-white-striped old-school Vans ($44.99).
On the other end of the retro spectrum lies the 1980s hip-hop style. " It’s the 1980s, Run-DMC, high-top look, " says Allston Beat’s Leonard. Manhattan, an urban-style store in Cambridge, has all the Pony, basketball shoes, and retro Nike Air Force and Air Jordans to outfit any self-respecting old-school b-boy (boom box not included).
The best thing about stocking up on sneakers in Boston is that the stores actually have the good stuff on site. " These sneakers are so popular in New York that no one has them in stock, " marvels Leonard, himself outfitted in a pair of brown Puma Ontarios. " We’re shipping goods to New York. "
Just in time to cash in on sneaker mania, a Puma store has opened up on Newbury Street’s skankier end. The chrome-white store — only the fifth in the country — conveys the casual style of the sneakers themselves. And, ah, if you’re looking for us, chances are that’s where we’ll be, feeding the ol’ sneaker jones.
Where to find it:
• Allston Beat, 348 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 421-9555.
• Le Foot Sportif, 13 Dunster Street, Cambridge, (617) 547-1688.
• Manhattan, 563 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 876-9080.
• Puma, 333 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 369-7091.
• The Tannery, 11 Brattle Street #A, Cambridge, (617) 491-0810.
