“Mr. Gotty™, uhm…your closet looks like a warehouse.”
That’s what my eleven-year-old neighbor told me the other day upon his discovery of one of my shoe stash spots. He was playing Hide & Seek with one of the kids, sprinted over to my closet and froze up, his eyes lit up like Lil Dez.
Maybe it’s just sneaker collectors. Then again, perhaps it’s more sneaker addicts (a decidedly different group) such as myself. Or clothes hogs in general? Whatever the case, Romain Laurent’s picture captures the essence of one of the more valuable aspects of our lives. Closet space.
I’ve been trying to ask Jaycee how the hell he stores all his kicks, but he never answers. Methinks he figures I want to rob him or some shit, even though we don’t wear the same size…and I live 4.5 hrs away from him. Every time I ask Contra™, he gives me some abstract answer that leaves me confused about what I just asked him (“Oh well, I have some here in this zip code, keep 13 pairs @ my maternal auntie’s house and then I have a few stashed in my abode in the Orient.”) I considered asking some others on the level of Wale & Ronnie Fieg. But I’ve seen Ronnie’s solution, which is to live alone and just have a whole room that was an office/shoe space.
So, I’ll ask my not-so-famous fellow addicts such as yourselves. How do you solve the conundrum pictured above?
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get some storage space at public storage…and rotate out your shoes every 2 months. i don’t personally do it, but my boy does…and this cat has over 500 pairs of kicks. he did it here in the chi…and currently does it down in orlando.
…and he has a seed gotty. so before that, he was just using the spare bedroom…but no more.
Public storage for shoes. What if you really REALLY need those sky blue SBs that day?
Agree with ghostdini rich.
Not a sneaker collector or addict…
(I have quite a few nevertheless)
But I am a clothes addict.
I have a storage space for clothes – temp controlled, proper care is taken to keep them in the condition in which they went in.
I roll through once a month and take out what I need and replace.
Everything is in perfect order within it.
I used to utilize a spare room at my spot… but then thought about how ridiculous that was when people would visit and look like I was some eccentric person with a room set aside specifically for my clothing.
2 metal racks and a small stack beside the dresser.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2572/4030225639_d95c437f0d_o.jpg
I use everybody’s closet space lol.
Disclaimer – dude was only 11 so only 10 prs of shoes in their boxes would amaze him. Trutfully, I try to keep it very very modest, which is down from several yrs ago when it was “bad.”
I ended up buying a book case from Ikea for all of my jeans. For my sneakers I am lucky to have a spare room and I just stack them in their original boxes.
@Gotty. Storage. Or an extra room.
Or you can sell some.
For the record, I have 0 kicks in my Oriental abode.
@ Ron
That is pretty ingenious.
I have a friend who just purchased a new home and the closet space is ridiculously large… so she finally has a place for all of her shoes.
Her old spot was crazy. She had no space left.
But as I told her…
“With great space comes… only more shoes.”
©Biterman
Nah fam, I gotta keep my shits in the boxes. I hate them being exposed as it causes the soles to detoriate & discolor, esp on AM1s.
I feel you TRA. I’m pretty meticulous about my clothes & just realized how many different sections & “types” of shirts I got as I was rotating out the summer for fall/winter. But I’m real spur of the moment, so having shit in storage would irk me.
Even though I don’t wear SBs or baby blue, that’s exactly my thoughts lol. No sir buddy. If I wake up feeling like white/team red (maroon for the rest of you hehe) AF1s, I want them!
“I hate them being exposed as it causes the soles to deteriorate & discolor, esp on AM1s.”
Dr. Shoe Gotty™ lol
Dropping knowledge. I just keep mine in the boxes because it looks neater/cleaner. People are sometimes amazed by that – “You keep your shoes in the boxes?”
Why yes… yes I do.
“You clean your shoes?”
Ummm… you do not?!?!
And the storage is so close that it is like going shopping. So sometimes instead of hitting the mall or boutiques… I will just go by my storage unit.
Beyond that, I go through phases where I like certain pieces so it has become easier over the years.
But I can relate.
Used to use my spare bed room as the closet. Built one side out for clothes, the other side built out with shelfs for shoes. Since I moved to a smaller spot went thru and tossed a grip of stuff.. Dropped like 5bags at goodwill. Other shit went into storage, just switch it out every few weeks. Only problem about that is when you’re getting ready and want to wear that one pair/shirt, you can’t cause it’s in storage
Your neighbor is gonna steal your kicks one of these days. lol.
I have a pretty huge closet but I’ve managed to fill it a few times over. Those that have seen the trunk of my car can attest that sneakers dwell there too. Pretty much any place I frequent.
It’s like that Jay track “Come and Get me” except with shoes instead of guns.
Agreed on keeping boxes and cleaning. This broad once told me “Having a walk in full of footwear is very female.” I told her “Men have feet too and jealousy is an ugly hue on you.”
Only problem for me is travelling. Once upon a time, I considered just letting the kicks age and get dirty so I could give half of them away next time I was in Africa or at a Salvation Army.
Sidebar: Nike needs to cut TSS a hefty check by the way. And word to Umfufu, I want half.
word to Umfufu
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LOL
All shoes must be cleaned before being stored.
I got about 40-50pr at my boys crib, a few dozen at moms crib and about 30 at the crib.. not to mention a few “beaters” in storage…
…I plan on having a fire sale on half of them because I’m trying to step up my OG game.. or pre 03 retros..
if you follow my blog then you see the constant buying of shoes I do.. Hell I bought 25+ pr when I was deployed for 6 months.. Moms was trippin’..
p.s. it’s crazy you used that pic.. it’s my background on my comp @ wrk
^ That pic is the shit. when i saw it, I already knew it was gonna be a post.
I used to have shoes spread out. I’ve parred it down to…i think the shoes I do have consist of a shitload of doubles. I only wear a few colors so when I see a shoe, I end up buying two pair of the same model, same color. so everything I have now serves a purpose.
@ micAh!
“I got about 40-50pr at my boys crib, a few dozen at moms crib and about 30 at the crib.. not to mention a few “beaters” in storage…”
Whoa is all I am saying.
That takes this threads cake.
@ Contra™
“Only problem for me is traveling. Once upon a time, I considered just letting the kicks age and get dirty so I could give half of them away next time I was in Africa or at a Salvation Army.”
I have this exact same problem (if I understand you correctly).
The worst is when I go away for the weekend or 3-4 days (which is often)… I have to bring the shoes with me… which means bringing the boxes with me. Which I will admit is a hassle.
Again, people will trip out but I refuse to go through 2-4 days with two pair of shoes to choose from.
That is my word.
Let me ask the question…
What do you guys do in the above scenario? Say you are going away for a weekend or a few days (less than a week though)…
How do you travel with regard to the kicks specifically?
Because it is becoming too much with the way I am doing it.
(I feel like Kramer when he was trying to cut down on shower time – it is just too much)
I don’t bring the boxes when I travel…but i use the hell out of hotel washclothes to wipe my shits down lol.
Excessive as it is, I normally travel with one more pr than however many days I’m going to be away. It’s not on purpose so much as it just happens that way. Gone 3 days? Pack 4. 4 days? Pack 5. It should prolly be less than, something like 3 days, pack 2.
I try to travel with the basic colors though. One pair that’s somewhat disposable/if it gets trashed I ain’t buggin. Another pair to splash with. And then another alternate joint that I don’t mind putting some wear on but not necessarily trying to trash.
I’ve gone so far as to ship stuff in advance to wherever I’m going but that’s a whole ‘nother story.
@TRA – I gotta carry-on that specifically fits 4-5pr of shoes. I refused to check any luggage in that contains my shoes. Since I’ve been back I’ve been traveling my ass off and you know what my fave travel kix are? The fuckin’ Air Yeeys? Y? Because they are comfy as shit! It ain’t even the stunt factor they’re just some str8 up comfy ass shoes! I rock em’ like a pair of regular ass kix too.. my apc’s bled on em’ and it kept it moving…fuck it.
p.s. ALWAYS stuff the toe boxes when you pack ya kix!
How do you travel with regard to the kicks specifically?
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I’ve chilled out a lot with the travel shoes in recent years, but my method is still the same. If I’m gone for 4 or 5 days, I throw the “grail” type joints in my carry on bag. The ones that I could bear to part with if somehow my bag was lost or gaffled get thrown in my checked luggage. I try to limit it to 6 pairs stowed away in my bags and 1 pair on my feet, obviously. Somehow 2 pairs never get worn, but it’s nice to know they’re there just in case.
When I used to do a lot of driving from MI to AL, my whole trunk was just shoes and my 12″ sub…lol. I’d stuff as many pairs in their boxes that I could since I knew I’d be gone for a few weeks to a month. I always had to save some space for a pair or two I’d scoop at the Opry Mills Nike outlet though.
At home though, I just stack em in the walk in closet. My wife has relegated me my corner of the closet whilst she utilizes about 85% of it, so the stash has definitely dropped in size. I try to keep it under 30 pairs at any given time, not including dress shoes, beaters, house shoes and flip-flops. I’ve realized there is no need for too many kicks b/c during the week I gotta get my business casual on at work, so they never get worn anyways.
All that said, anyone looking for a pair of the Grey/Pink Footscape Wovens, size 11.5 lol? Get at me.
best shit to keep ya kix clean? MR. CLEAN MAGIC ERASER!!!! I love that shit! I wish they would’ve had it back when I was in HS!
@ trife shoot me some pix of those wovens… (micahamey at yahoo.com)
Thanks for the input!
My main thing is that I am meticulous. So I have always wondered, “What if my shoes get smashed, scuffed, etc.”
I know it sounds crazy to travel with them in the boxes, but I feel as if they are “protected” by doing so.
@ Gotty
Regarding the number of pair… I do the EXACT same thing.
Hotel washcloths too. As bad as I feel about leaving behind what cleaning my shoes does to them… for what I pay when I stay… they can afford some new ones lol.
@ micAh!
A normal carry on? Do you wrap the shoes at all?
(I do stuff the toes even while at home – no creases – creases and they get donated. I do not care how new they are. I cannot stand that with my shoes. I will not even crouch down while wearing my shoes as to avoid that problem)
I need to figure this out. I am away far too much to keep lugging boxes around with me.
@ trife
*Taking notes*
I always had to save some space for a pair or two I’d scoop at the Opry Mills Nike outlet though.
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they dont’ have shit these days. when that shit was in Lebanon, I used to rack up. I remember buying Oly 6′s out there and that pretty much got me started flippin’ kicks. Another time, I grabbed upwards of 40 prs of BCorns from there.
And man, I just said fawk it & started wearing my kicks to work. Neil D. put me on to that lol.
Micah, I edited your email address. YOu don’t want the spammers automatically leeching on to your email addy lol. You’ll be getting Viagra emails ad nauseum lol.
I forgot to mention, I always wrap my shoes in some sort of old ass towel we got. One time I didn’t do that and in the shuffle of traveling, one sole rubbed on another shoe and marked it all up. Never again.
And man, I just said fawk it & started wearing my kicks to work. Neil D. put me on to that lol.
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lol I tried that shit and got written up. Shoe nazis at my job man. It’s so bad now I can’t even rock kicks on casual effin’ Fridays. I think I got too flagrant with it though. If I was wearing some all grey New Balance, I’d be good. But let a bruh show up in some Infrared 90s with the khakis tucked behind the tongues, laces untied, and it was just too much for them.
Yeah, Opry Mills is weaksauce now though. It’s been a minute since I’ve been there but it seems if your outlet isn’t in Cali or FL, no comeups will be had.
@micAH I’ll shoot you some pics tomorrow
I have a couple of shelves built into one of my beadroom walls that will hold about 65 pairs or so…if I want something new I try and part with something old. There does always seem to be a couple of 6box stacks overflowing to the dresser and behind the door though. Then there’s the 10 pair of special joints that are at moms pad…
When I travel I keep my shoes in those little square bags with the drawstrings on them (http://www.ebags.com/nike/reversible_gymsack/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=110113) to keep my shoes covered. The outlets store always have them cheap & you can sometimes keep two pairs in them. Before all those carry-on restrictions, I used to travel with all my shoes in a duffle bag, but Trife’s method works for me now.
I have about 40-50 total (am I qualified to even talk, lol) & they’re all stacked along a wall in their boxes. The closet is full of clothes… so they need their own space. I’m the worst at putting them back in boxes, so I usually end up wearing the same pair for a grip or just have a sea of shoes I wade through.
Storage= one wall in my bedroom with shelves that will hold abou 65 boxes with a couple 6 box overflow stacks behind the door and on the dresser..if I get something new I get rid of something old.
Travel= if I’m gone for 10 days I will bring 2 pairs and will usually cop something while gone. I will bring something that I can fuck up and not get mad and something a little more rare/ fly. Tend to not care as much when overseas etc.
sorry for the duplicates….was foiled by the BlackBerry
travel take 3 pairs on a weekend trip. pair of chucks, pair of whites, and a pair of nice dress shoes. you know you going to end up walking around and stopping in some place, and picking something up. or if you want to wear something different then you are going to go get a new pair.
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side thought, with all of the people in these comments, have say avg of 50+ pairs, plus ones you had and got rid of. all that money that e/o us has dropped on shoes/clothes, think of some of the investments, or just cash in the IRA/savings. kind of makes me think of bewares post yesterday….. naw fuck it, i need a new pair of selvaged denim
LMFAO.. I am so glad i am not into kicks or clothes… You are a bunch of neurotic ass people..
“some abstract answer that leaves me confused about what I just asked him”
That goes for just about any question you ask Contra.. lol
I had three pairs of chucks for A3C and it worked out perfect.. Simplicity is my “style..”
^
Man I missed out on & good 30,000-50,000 come up because I didn’t by this one stock I was eyeing earlier this year. Too scared to pull the trigger
You’re all crazy, when I travel I just wear some AF1′s white/white, keep it simple and they go with everything.
Y’all scare me.. real talk
Gotty It has to be a spare room because it can be multi-purpose
I wife conceded the 2nd master bedroom as a Office/Sneaker Closet she calls my Command Center 1 Flat Screen an XBox 3600 4 Computers and 400+ Kicks
FYI The Closet is kicks I have on Ice or I just haven’t worn yet.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/atombomb49/HPIM0450.jpg
http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/atombomb49/?action=view¤t=TheCloset108.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/atombomb49/HPIM1057.jpg
I thought I was the only one that was bad. I travel with no less than 2 pair for each day. If I’m gone five days. That 10 pair. I always carry those on the flight too. I try to drive as much as possible to avoid loss luggage and checking all that stuff. I used to be real bad, but now I think down to about 40 pair at my apt, and 25 at my moms house.
hehe, Phil, I already knew you were sick. They didn’t. But I think I told you that my spare rooms are occupied by children…thus they are not spare rooms lol.
xg4sx – believe it or not, I used to be ass backwards like that til I got my head on straight. Now, if I have 10 prs but a healthy bank account, that’s way more important. But I’ll still be admiring shoes regardless of my age, accounts, etc.
And my daughters have picked up my shoe habit! Now they feel like they should get at least 2 pair every time like daddy.
@ TRA – I just put old shoes in-between the instead of fully wrapping them…
@ Gotty- thx for fix that e-mail addy for me…damn spammers *smh*
@ Phill – I knew you was about to come w/ some crack.. if you rocked my sz I’d b trying to cop..
Okay… I will give the old shoe wrapping a try *cringe*.
It is going to be difficult… I am going to be like a shoe hypochondriac…
“Was that mark there before?”
“Was that crease there before?”
“Do I see some discoloration?”
“Did they get smashed?!?!”
But if you guys do it that way… who am I to question such professional methods?
I have an extra roller carry-on so that should fit them nicely. Perhaps get some foam to go between them.
We shall see how it goes!