Sneaker Collector Q & A

Meet Javier Riveria, a 27 year old sneaker fanatic. I have known Javier for around five and a half years now, meeting through the love of the sneaker game, of course. I sell shoes to Javier, and like every other sneaker head out there, he's got love and commitment to the sneaker world.

Q: When did you first start collecting shoes?

Riveria:"When I was a sophomore in high school when I got my first pair. They were the Air Jordan III in white, cement, and fire red. I can even tell you that I bought them from Foot Locker and it was roughly 95 degrees out that day. That’s how much my first pair means to me.”

Q: What makes the first pair so special to you?

Riveria: "You're a sneakerhead, so I know you get it. But it's like the baby's first step. It was my first step in the shoe game, where it all started for my collection."

Q: Why did you start collecting shoes?

Riveria: "I think it started with my love for your Airness himself, Michael Jordan. If you grew up in the late 80s, early 90s, and played basketball, you wanted nothing more than to have the newest Mikes. Some of us just took it to an extreme."

Q: Are Air Jordans your favorite shoes to collect?

Riveria: "My favorite are the Air Jordan Legacy Series. I also have a lot of Air Force Ones, too."

Q: What's your favorite shoe of all time?

Riveria: " The Air Jordan Concord XI, and I am lucky enough to have two of them. My son even has a pair to match his Papa."

Q: Is your son a sneaker head too?

Riveria: "He's only five, but he knows his Jordans. He can tell you the names of practically any popular shoe. I guess you can say I've taught him well."

Q: How many shoes make up your entire collection?

Riveria: "I lose count, but last time I checked I want to say the counts at 320."

Q: I can do the math, but for all those non-sneaker heads out there, hit 'em with the dollar amount on that great collection.

Riveria: "First off, sneakers are priceless, let us all remember that. But to put a price tag on it, for retail prices it's around $48,000. I could resell them and make profit on top of that, but like I said, my collection is priceless to me. There's no tag."

Q:Where do you get your shoes?

Riveria: "From you, and all over. Boutiques in cities, Niketowns, Foot Lockers. Where ever I am that given Saturday, I find a place that has them for me."

Q: Do you think you will ever stop collecting?

Riveria: "I think I can honestly say that I'll probably be that old man in the nursing home still rockin' my Jordans. Especially if my son stays up on his shoe game, I can't have him out doin' me like that!"

Q: Any advice for the readers on kicks?

Riveria:"When ordering online, you have to be really careful not to buy fakes. Counterfeit Jordans seem to be everywhere, it's a disgrace to the shoe game. If the Jordans are less than retail(especially if they are $60), you're not getting a good deal, you're almost always getting fakes."