For The Love Of Sneaks: I Am Sneaky Kicks Up Sneaker Culture

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How much would you pay for a pair of tennis shoes? Thirty, fifty dollars? There is a growing group of sneaker groupies in St. Louis that would say the sky is the limit - depending on the shoes. Sneaker heads are turning up all over the city, and thank to a new shop Downtown their wish for exclusive and supreme footwear is being granted. I Am... Sneaky opened on Washington Ave in September of '08, which gave St. Louis's sneaker culture the shot in the arm it needed to start growing and thriving.

Co-owner Walt Johnson brought in a sneaker expert from Chicago and teamed him with a St. Louis sneaker aficionado to manage the sneaker and clothing store, which features shoes from the likes of ALife, limited edition New Balances, and supreme Nikes. There are only a few stores in the area that support sneaker culture and I Am... Sneaky saw an opportunity to support the city's growing sneaker community by carrying shoes and brands that local sneaker collectors previously could only purchase and keep up with sneaker culture through online sneaker sites like HypeBeast and High Snobiety or the one of the two, far-flung, shops in the area. The edition of I Am... Sneaky and the expertise the management brings is a sign that St. Louis's sneaker culture is growing and is here to stay.

What makes these sneakers so special and how does one start becoming a part of the local sneaker scene? Check out the Featured Video tab to see at what sneaker heads are craving and wearing and to learn more about our local sneaker scene.

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