Ma, these ain't Adidas!

Finding these Adidas sparked several memories of so many years of buying sneakers; from mainstream sneaker stores, to smaller legit boutiques, outlets, to bootleggers, and even some independent sellers; some who were knock-offs, and still are.

The memory that still burns me a little to this day, and I tried hard to suppress, was the purchase of my first brand name shoe; or what I was coerced to believe. It was probably the moment that instigated my sneaker addition that takes us back to the 80s...

My parents were both blue-collar workers with the ideal family; two parents, two kids. My parents were able to provide decently enough for us to get by but as time progressed in the 80’s and my sister and I got a bit older, money seemed to become tighter and tighter. While we had the basics, and occasionally a little extra, we never got too comfortable in one place because we’d often end up in a new house pretty regularly. I believe I was eight or nine years old, and excited to be heading back to school.

I remember it like it was yesterday, I was probably eight or nine years old at the time and the excitement to be heading back to school consumed me. All I could think about was this small sneaker boutique in our neighborhood (no one remembers the name) that I remember walking every time I went with my mom to our many thrift store trips. It had little to no signage, rarely busy and definitely no sign of being a place to purchase the newest kicks. I always wondered what was in the depths of the store, as you could only see the first 10 to 15 feet from the glass door at the entrance. I’ll never forget the day a man exited with a pair of brand new sneakers on and it completely blew me away with amazement. I couldn’t tell you what brand they were, just that they were fresh, new kicks that he walked right out of the store with.

In true form, I got busy mapping out my plan on how to get me a pair. First, I had to convince my mom to go into the store. Then, the ultimate goal would be that she’d buy me a pair. When the time came for shopping for school clothes and supplies all I could think about was how excited I was to actually ‘want’ to go to tag along with my mom to the thrift store. I nagged her over and over again about going into the sneaker store once we were done thrift shopping. My mom’s answer was typical and not making my plan feel promising…“We’ll see after we leave the thrift store.” I recall my mom glancing at the sneaker boutique door as we continued to walk past. That day we spent what felt like an eternity in that damn thrift store. Conveniently, as we walked back towards the store to head home, it was close. I figured we were in the thrift store so long to guarantee that the sneaker store would be closed when we left. So my eight-year-old self rebelled by purposely walking home extra slow to express my disappointment. 

There was some time between visits to the thrift store, but we were headed there again, and this time I was determined to get into that sneaker store. Rather than asking a million times, I didn’t even suggest it. As we got closer to the store, I walked ahead of my mom, I think I even ran. I went for it! I recall the door being so heavy, but I got it open. As my mom was yelling to me not to go in, the owner assisted with the door. Now that I was inside, I was determined to at least try on a pair; I was in paradise.

I had been in sneaker stores before, but nothing like this one. I tried a couple of pairs, as my mom stated not to get too comfortable, as she didn’t have the money to buy me shoes. She did inquire about layaway, which is how we generally purchased things back then. He did not offer it, which was disappointing. After that visit, I remember harassing my mom while we were in the thrift store, and all the way home; “Can I get a new pair of sneakers from that store?” She explained without a layaway plan that I probably wouldn’t be able to. By time we got home, she hadn’t committed, but said her classic words, “We’ll see.”

I would generally not bring the “I wants” to my dad, as he always diverted to my mom who handled the money. Although, there were times he’d suggest to find a way. There wasn’t much discussion about it after I brought it to my dad, which irritated my mom. As I’ve mentioned, we would be walking to the thrift store, confirming that we did not have a car at that time. Why would my mom be open to spending money on a pair of sneakers for me, when we were walking or catching the bus to get to where we had to go. It was time for another trip to the thrift store; my sister stayed behind with my dad. As we approached the sneaker store, my mom said, “You have $40 to spend, and don’t ask for an additional dollar. That means you’re $40 needs to include the tax.”

I was so fucking excited! I remember walking in and being able to pull the door open by myself this time. I’ll began to look through the sneakers with consideration of my budget. There was some obvious letdown when certain shoes didn’t fall in my price range. I had my sights set on sneakers that were way outside my means, but were all the ones I had seen on guys at the park, out in the neighborhood and in magazines. Ultimately, I settled for royal blue Adidas with white stripes. I had a few concerns, but my mom and the owner convinced me that they were a great selection. I actually recall being the last customer, and up to the final minute before the store closed; my indecisiveness still lives in me today.

I was super excited to show my dad, anyone who visited the house, and more importantly could not wait to wear them to school. This is the point of the story where the pain incurs. There wasn’t much concern initially, but I remember the day it happened. I was on the bus and someone else had on Adidas, but it said Adidas on the shoe. I argued my point that they were a special pair made in Taiwan, which was inscribed on the shoe. Someone said, “They have four stripes, Adidas only has three.” I had said the same to the store owner. He explained that the three blue stripes in between the white represented Adidas. Ultimately, I had realized after further research that I had been hustled. It turns out my mom had already negotiated that there would be a purchase, but only if less than $40, and she didn’t know the difference between real or fake Adidas anyway.

I can’t recall at what point in the school year the truth was exposed, but as soon as I realized it, I stopped wearing the shoes. I attempted discussion with my mom about the shoes not being real Adidas, although, I was just grateful that they were willing to sacrifice. They sat in the closet for a short time until I thought about what I could do to make sure I wasn’t teased when I wore them. The creative side of me had an idea. I remember it being a weekend, and without my parents knowing, I began to cut the threads to the white stripes, removing one on each side of the shoe. I also used one of my blue markers to color where white thread had left a mark. I was focused on wearing them on Monday as a new pair of sneakers. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I knew I wasn’t getting another pair sneakers, so I had to make them work. I didn’t go as far as writing Adidas on them, but it crossed my mind. Ultimately, I ended up wearing them throughout the school year. I got past the jokes, but couldn’t wait until Spring to get a new pair, no matter what they were. I always had friends that would hook me up with their old shoes or I’d find something to trade. I loved when the song “My Adidas” by Run-D.M.C. came out, but it always made me think of those damn shoes when I’d hear it.

I never walked in that store again, and I always cursed it as I walked past. I even remember realizing that it had closed down and said in my head, “good for his ass”. I buried that one away as one of my worst childhood moments. As I processed the first sneaker purchase that I could remember, it came to me. Fast forward, and I find these gems (real Adidas) in Marshall’s, which is basically a modern-day thrift store, for the same price I bought those knock-offs 30+ years ago.