Art and sole

The colorful sneakers at Sole Stadium in Eden Prairie Center are arranged on two walls with the attention of a carefully curated art collection — and some could potentially command the price of a small masterpiece. The store buys, sells and trades rare and limited edition sneakers, streetwear and accessories.

Owner Zach Jones also strives to foster a community for sneaker lovers who, despite their varied budgets, share a love for the history, artfulness and culture of the shoes, which is priceless.

Jones, 21, opened the store in 2021 and has been collecting sneakers himself for about seven years.

“I was that kid who knew everything and saw everything coming out,” Jones said.

He turned that passion into a business. 

Before opening the physical store, Jones bought and sold sneakers online.

“I’d been into shoes awhile, and the resale kept getting bigger and bigger,” he said. And, he admitted, “It can become an expensive hobby. I had to start making some money at some point!”

Besides being on site during all of its open hours, launching the store was not a big transition for Jones.

“It is all the same things as the online sales, plus the advantage of having person-to-person interactions,” he said.

The business still has a strong online presence and sells only about 30% of its mostly new, or deadstock, inventory in-store, with more pre-worn sold online and through social media. 

Sole Stadium’s Eden Prairie location attracts “a good mix of people,” Jones said, providing a convenient option to other similar stores that tend to be in more urban areas.

“It is somewhat close to many of the suburbs, especially the western ones, and far more convenient than going downtown or even to Mall of America,” said Jones.

Jones said his willingness to make offers on almost all shoes brought in for sale not only attracts customers but also sets Sole Stadium apart from its competitors.

“We are well known to be a store that will always make an offer, so people tend to bring us the most stuff,” he said.

The store’s website describes it as “a cultural hub for sneaker enthusiasts,” creating a place for regular customers and Jones himself to enjoy a certain kinship.

“Before, I didn’t really do much except sit at home and sell shoes online,” he said. “Now, on a busy Saturday, I’m talking to 100 or 150 people all day. So now I feel like I talk a lot.”

The shoes also get their due appreciation by being displayed rather than sitting in a warehouse.

Nikes of all types tend to dominate the walls of Sole Stadium, though other brands also make an appearance in the store.

Depending on a shoe’s popularity or rarity, prices can vary and increase dramatically. For example, the priciest pair currently in the store appreciated from $220 in 2020 to its current price of $1,800.

As for popularity, “Jordan 4 is everyone’s favorite right now,” Jones said. “Every pair that comes out sells for a minimum of $100 over retail.”

The most Jones has ever sold a pair for was $7,500 at a local Sneaker Con event that takes place every August at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Jones also travels to cities such as Miami and Chicago for conventions and events, mostly to buy inventory.

The store’s $250 average price tag can make it tough on the budgets of Jones’s mostly younger customers — between 14 and 22. But what these young buyers lack in disposable income, they make up for in passion and knowledge.

“Kids come in and may own only one pair but have super vast knowledge,” Jones said. “They know everything about the shoes, which is very cool! When they get to the point of owning more, they will have a lot of knowledge about the products.”

In contrast, some collectors Jones sees are old enough to remember when Nike first introduced the Air Jordan in 1984, still one of the predominantly collected shoe styles. Their “grown man money,” as dubbed by Jones, affords serious pursuit and, sometimes, “whole rooms in their houses dedicated to collecting.”

Between these two demographics, Jones predicts the industry “is only going to get bigger.” 

Though he has personally owned up to 40 to 50 pairs in the past, Jones does not keep many shoes for himself anymore.

“I like to rotate them a lot,” he said. “I don’t get too attached or keep a lot anymore because there’s always something new, always something else you love, something else that’s better. It’s never-ending.”

Sole Stadium is located on the lower level in the Kohl’s wing of Eden Prairie Center; phone (612) 242-4045.

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Learn more: EP native Tom Jegers personifies sneakerhead culture, navigating nostalgia, personal taste, and market trends in his collection.