Wait ends as special $230 Air Jordans fly off shelves

It was balmy outside Walter’s Clothing in downtown Atlanta last week when a line of shoe-lovers formed, all waiting for a chance to buy a $230 pair of Nike Air Jordans. (It was a special shoe, the 23rd release, in their 23rd year of sales and named for Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls’ famous No. 23, not to be sold until Dec. 23.)

Temperatures were in the 20s this week when the folks at Walter’s dismissed the line, promising that if they came back Tuesday morning, they’d be the priority buyers. Indeed, the shoes were gone a few minutes after the store opened at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Antonio Chaney, a store manager, said that, really, they were gone last Tuesday, when the line formed.

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Courtesy of nike.com

Only 23 stores received the 23rd edition of Nike Air Jordans, which happened to sell for $230.

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Out of the two-dozen people in line for the 23 pairs that Walter’s had to sell, maybe one or two really wanted to wear the red and black sneaker, Chaney said. Most didn’t care about the size, even: they just wanted to sell them.

It’s hardly the first line that’s formed outside Walter’s for a pair of shoes — it happens whenever there’s a limited release sneaker. This one was special for its scarcity — only 23 stores got them — but as far as looks, it was just “OK,” Chaney said.

“Nothing like the old retros,” Chaney said. “It’s more a collector’s shoe.”