Ask a local sneaker head and he (or less likely, she) will tell you that sneaker culture in Atlanta is still evolving.
That hasn't stopped Sneaker Con, the international event for sneaker connoisseurs, from making Atlanta a stop on the tour on its 13 city tour. In 2016, Sneaker Con events nationwide drew more than 70,000 attendees, and Atlanta's Sneaker Con was one of the largest, said organizers.
On Saturday, Atlanta sneaker lovers will gather at the Cobb Galleria Centre to buy, sell and trade some of the most popular footwear brands on the market.
Vendors from Atlanta and nearby cities will showcase more than 100,000 pairs of sneakers from makers and creators such as Supreme x Louis Vuitton, Supreme, Adidas Yeezy, Air Jordan and other Adidas Ultra Boost shoes.
Sneakers are making big news this week with the announcement that Adidas has surpassed the Jordan brand to become the number two brand in U.S. sport footwear. Nike remains in the top spot, but many other brands are generating interest among sneaker lovers.
Atlanta-based sneaker aficionado and You Tube personality DeAngelo LaNarde aka TonyD2Wild said in an interview with Saucony Originators Only that his goal is to open people's eyes to other options.
"The sneaker community shouldn't feel like they have to fit in by buying what everyone else is buying. I want people to feel like when they watch me they can find out that there's more to sneakers than just the ordinary brands we're use to," said LaNarde, one of the featured influencers at Sneaker Con.
While sneaker collectors tend to skew male and young, Sneaker Con draws older adults as well as non-collectors, organizers said. The event was founded in 2009 by Alan Vinogradov, Barris Vinogradov and Yu-Ming Wu who met through Wu's online publication for sneaker lovers, SneakerNews.com .
They decided they would create an event that catered to consumers by offering a sneaker store with thousands of different types of sneaker merchandise all in one place. They also created a sneaker museum to display some of the rarest sneakers in the world.
The show has evolved since it first began. Sneaker Con now hosts a Trading Pit where anyone can bring multiple pairs of sneakers to sell and trade. There is also an on-site authentication service called Sneaker Con Authenticated, which offers free sneaker authenticating so shoppers will know their purchases are legitimate.
Between all the shopping, there will be panel discussions, special performances and more featuring some of the biggest online influencers in the sneaker community.
Event Preview: Sneaker Con
$25, 12 - 7 p.m., Sat., Sept. 23
Cobb Galleria Centre, 2 Galleria Pkwy SE, Atlanta, GA 30339
For tickets and more information, visit sneakercon.com.
