I’m not one to spend much time reminiscing about the “good old days”, as I believe that adapting to change and trying to constantly look forwards is the best thing to do, especially in today’s sneaker game. However, one thing that I do look back on fondly (sometimes) is camping out for kicks.
Back before the hype for releases got way too out of hand, there was a little shop in Southdale Mall called V.S. or Versus. It was on the third floor by the old food court (if you remember any of this stuff, shouts to you), and they had a Jordan account. They got most releases, and they’d let you come in the store when the mall closed. You could chill and socialize with other sneakerheads until midnight, when they’d sell you the kicks and send you on your way.
Of course, with the way the game is nowadays, that’s not possible. Too many people want releases for a shop to even imagine opening their doors the night before a hyped shoe drops, and that lead me to thinking: Is camping for kicks still relevant in today’s sneaker game?
After some thought, I’ve came to a conclusion: It is, but not to the extent it was in the 00’s. With how many stores raffle now and how many kicks release online, there’s significantly less opportunities to camp for kicks. When there is an opportunity to camp, all the youngsters who don’t have any job or life responsibilities just yet usually get in line so early that it’s not even worthwhile for us “older” (if you will) sneakerheads to even try. Getting in line at 5 PM the day before a release or restock? No thanks. Not when life is calling.
The long and short of it is this: Camping is still part of the sneaker game, although not as prominent of a part as it used to be. It’s for the young guns, and us sneakerheads that have been in the game longer can’t do it like we used to.
As I stated in the intro paragraph, I try to not wax poetic about the “good old days”, but this is certainly one aspect of the game I wish never changed.
-RDwyer
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