It's Been 23 Days & I'm Still Going Through Withdrawals or Today's Pair - Jordan Retro 14

Air Jordan Retro XIV (14)

So according to my records it's been 23 days since I bought my last pair of shoes and I'm going through withdrawals when I see something hot. Skipping the "Cements" was a little easier then I thought, it's been the stuff on sale I've seen that's been the hardest to pass up. Plus stuff like the "Gortex" SB Dunks at Bluetile or the black and purple Penny 1's that dropped since then have been calling me. But I'm determined to make it through this year without buying myself any shoes and using that money to make our 15 Anniversary something special. Of course nobody believes I can do, not even my wife. Every time I tell somebody I'm taking the year off they say I'll never make it, then say that's so sweet when I explain why I'm doing. But then they still say I can't do it. The bad part is that as much as I hate to admit it they might be right, this might be one of the best years ever for Jordan Retro's and Nike Retro's. The "Concord" 11's and "Black Cement" 3's that were just confirmed almost killed me. With all the 5's (my favorite Jordan by the way), 7's, and 3's dropping this year I know it'll be hard not to slip. When you add in the Foamposite's, Penny's and various Air Max's dropping this year I'm in for a rough time. The only thing I have to look forward to is knowing that by the beginning of next year there will plenty of shoes at the Footaction Outlet for me to get for cheap. The only problem might be the fact that the guys in the back room up there like to hold back the best stuff for themselves. Not that upset about that if it's the guys who actual were my size but there are the guys in the back who just hold whatever is hot and limited to flip online or at the flea market no matter how against company policy that is. And feel free to say I'm dry snitching, I don't care. Don't come out and ask me what a shoe is reselling for then tell me you have it in my size bit your getting it for yourself and expect me not to be pissed.

They should have plenty of various Air Max 90's and Nike Basketball Retro's up there as these shoes just don't really sell in this area. Even shoes like the Griffey's and Penny's just sit on the shelves. And shoes like the Pippen's and 1/2 Cents are just to expensive around here. Plus most of the people here have no idea what they are so they just sit. Of course if Nike slaps a Jumpman logo on it they'll snap it up thinking they just bought something super hot. Makes me kind of sad when I see Jordan True Flights being snapped up but the metallic Griffey is marked down to $99.99.

Anyway, today's pair is the Air Jordan Retro XIV (14) in the white / black / varsity red / metallic silver colorway. These dropped in March of 2006 and retailed for $150.00. I got them a while later at Todd & Moore's for $75.00 on clearance. Nike Jordan really flooded the market with this retro back in 2006 and several colorways made it to the clearance rack. I can remember going into a Footlocker in Norfolk VA and seeing 5 different colorways on the wall at once which was crazy. I didn't even think the shoe was that popular when it first dropped to require that many retro's to begin with. This is evident by the fact that the retro versions from 2006 are only $150 at http://www.flightclub.com/ and an original pair from 1999 is only $220.

Some of this could from the fact that it seems like people like to hate on any Jordan after the XIII (13). For some reason the 13 is the cut off shoe for loving everything about Jordans with a lot of sneakerheads. Don't really understand it because I happen to really like 17 through 20 models. After the 20 it is a little touch and go I'll admit. The 14 was supposedly inspire by the Itailan sportscars Jordan loved andif you know what to look for you can see the influence. The tongue and heel plate are the most evident examples. Oh well, that's enough for today. Might rock some AF1's tomorrow since the guys on Facebook told me to rock the Jordans today over the AF1's. Till then, Cheapsoles.

The Rest Of The SB Stuff

Nike "Wallenberg" SB Dunk Low On Sale For $69.99

Nike SB Blazer High "Sub Pop" On Sale For $49.99

These are the  rest of the pics from the Bluetile skate shop in Columbia SC. Like I said in the previous post, these guys have great stuff in stock so if your in Columbia head to 631 Harden St in 5 Points or give them a call at (803)376-1880.

Converse Getting In On The Skate Shoe Market

Hot New Vans



The Adidas Skate Shoe Table



Nike "Orange Hemp QS" SB Dunk Low On Sale For $69.99

Nike SB Friday News

Nike "Iron Man" SB Dunk High

So I went by the local skate here in Columbia SC, Bluetile, and as you can see from the video they have tons of great stuff in stock right now. The "Iron Man", "Gortex", "Loons", "Yellow Curbs" and the Koston Dunk Lows are all in stock up there in various sizes. Not sure if I should be glad because it means that most people in Columbia won't have my shoes or sad that the so called sneakerheads in this town are letting these amazing and highly sought after SB's sitting at the shop gathering dust. They also have several SB Blazer High's, SB Dunk Mids, and SB Blazer CS colorways in stock. Plus several different colors in the Stefan Janoski SB Signature model.

Nike SB Stefon Janoski Signature Model

In addition to all these Nike SB models they have a full assortment of Adidas, Converse, and Vans on display. The guys at Bluetile do a great job keeping the latest models and styles in stock of not just the SB's which sell to the skaters and sneakerheads but also the strictly skater brands. Plus the guys never get greedy and keep the prices at what's printed on the box. That's actually pretty impressive considering what the resale value is on some of the shoes I've gotten from there. I've heard about several shops who jack up the price on the SB's they know will be collectible in the future. I have at least 6 pairs of SB Dunk Highs I bought from them that are now valued at over $200 which is double what I paid for them.

At this point I feel the need to mention the stuff on the floor that's on sale. Multiple Nike SB Dunk Lows including the "Wallenberg's" and the "Orange Hemp QS" on sale for $65.00. Both of those shoes are selling for $109.99 and $119.99 respectively on www.pickyourshoes.com. Plus the "Sub Pop" Blazer SB's are on sale for $49.99 in select sizes. Pics of all 3 pairs are located at bottom of the page.

This is the deal people, Nike SB's are a great shoe for skating and for sneakerheads and collectors. They are only sold at skate shops so you know the production runs are limited and these shoes are getting some of the best color and material combinations from Nike. If you love shoe or just like the freshest gear you need to go see the guys at Bluetile. They are located at 631 Harden St in Columbia SC and their number is (803) 376-1880 if your from out of town and want to call about a phone order. If you do make it by do me a favor and let them know Cheapsoles sent you. Check the pics below and in the next posting to see more of what they have and to get a view of the decks they carry too. Till tomorrow people, Cheapsoles.



Nike "Gortex" SB Dunk High



Nike "Loon" SB Dunk Low, Nike "Eric Koston" SB Dunk Low
Nike "Yellow Curb" SB Dunk Low











Today's Pair - Nike SB Zoom Omar Salazar a/k/a The Dinosaur Jr SB's

Since today is Nike SB Friday I went with the Omar Salazar "Dinosaur Jr's" which dropped in march of 2010. These were designed by members of the Alt Rock group Dinosaur Jr who had some fame in the 80's and early 90's and have developed something of a cult following. The shoes are the second collaboration between Nike and the group. The first were the Nike Dunk High's which came out in 2007 and are currently reselling on www.flightclubla.com for between $260 and $400. The official colorway on the Omar Salazar's are abyss / abyss / lucky green and they retailed for $85.00. They are currently available on several websites for right around $99.00 which I find surprising given the high resell value of the Dinosaur Jr Dunks. I think the main reason for this is that the Salazar's are new shoe with 2010 being their first year along with the fact that while Omar Salazar is a pro skater he's not a known pro skater. Plus the shoe was not really well recieved by the sneaker community (and let's be honest, sneakerheads are the main buyers of SB's not actual skaters).

The shoes are a nice purple with a bit of sparkle to them which changes the shade of purple depending on your angle and the lighting. The Dinosaur Jr logo is placed on the heel similar to the Dunks from 2007. They also placed a tree monster image on the insole. There is also a zipper along the top of tongue which can be used to add padding to the tongue for protection or for a nice little stash spot. Not that I know anybody who needs to stash anything but just repeating what I have heard.

I plan to go buy the local skateshop here in Columbia today to see what is new and whats on sale this week. They also carry several other brands of skate shoes which I'll be sure to mention as well. Make sure you check back later to get the report and pics. You never know what you may find there that everyone else has sold out of. Till then, Cheapsoles

Today's Pair - Nike LeBron Zoom IV (4) Birthday Edition a/k/a Knick Tease

Today's shoes are the Nike Zoom LeBron 4's in the limited edition Birthday colorway. These released in 2006 and were a Nike.com members only exclusive. Nike.com used to have a members only store which you had to join on the website and sold exclusive shoes in the members only area. This was later dropped and Nike started the invitation only Flight Club on Jumpman23.com. This area is still open and is now available to anybody who wants to join but they haven't released anything in a very long time now. The last thing I remember getting from them was the "Incredible Hulk" CP3 II's.  These LeBron 4's are officially listed as dark neon royal / white / safety orange and contrary to what some people think when first seeing them, they are not in a Knicks colorway. The colors are a tribute to the old Cleveland Cavilers team colors of the 80's and 90's. If your old enough to remember you know exactly what I'm talking about and if not next time you see a replay of "The Shot" check out the Cleveland jersey's as Jordan just kills the franchise until LeBron showed up. The shoes came in a special zip up shoe case instead of the standard shoe box. The box zips down the middle and each pair came wrapped in special paper. The box also had a stamped metal plate with LeBrons birthday. This is one of the few pairs I can't remember the price of but the general release LeBron 4's retailed for $140 and these were slightly higher. I saw a pair on Flightclubla.com recently going for $300. I have to agree with something I saw written on some website that they resale on these had to be a lot higher before "The Decision" and the delusional Knicks fans thought they had a chance at him. Maybe I'll wear the Amare AF1's tomorrow as a consolation prize for Knicks fans. As for the shoes themselves, these are pretty unique and they were rated quite highly as a performance shoe in 2006.

These are one of only 2 models of the Lebrons in which I own more then one pair. I have 2 pairs of these and 2 pairs of the LeBron 1's. All the other pairs are the only pair I own in that particular model. So I guess that might say something about what I think of this model. Aight, that's enough writing for now. Got to head out and check out whats on sale at the Footaction Outlet and DTLR today and throw that up later this afternnon. Tomorrow is SB Friday and I plan to go by the local skateshop and let you know what's on sale there. They also have plenty of stuff that most places are sold out of. That's why guys drive down from ATL to shop there once a month. Till this afternoon, Cheapsoles 

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Today's Pair - Nike Blazer High a/k/a It's A Lazy Day So No Thought In The Pick

Today's pair is some Nike Blazer High's in a dark grey / white / baltic blue / black colorway. With the weather the way it is today down here in SC I decided to just let today be a kind of lazy day. Just going to hang at the house, do my push-up sets every 20 minutes, and watch Dan Patrick and RED today. No plans to go anywhere or do anything big so just grabbed a pair of blazers from the wall and threw them on before taking my daughter to daycare this morning. And yes, I'll be home all day while she's at daycare and I don't feel bad about it at all. She loves that place, her teacher, and seeing her friends there. Plus she is learning so much more then she would learn at home with me so I consider it the best $130 we spend every week.

Now back to the Blazers, these retailed for $78.00 and I got them for $30 at the Footaction Outlet last year. I remember that day because I bought 6 pairs of Blazers that day plus the HOF Jordan 2009 (those only cost me $60 by the way). Just thought the colors on this pair really worked well together and loved the nubuck. Plus as I've said before, I just really enjoy the overall look and design of the Blazer. It's simple yet stylish & classy. Just a well made shoe for the price. If only the boxes they came in weren't weak pieces of junk. But I guess for only $78.00 I shouldn't expect a whole lot.

Well that's all for today, I might jump back on this afternoon to give my opinion on a few things shoe wise and on other things. Till then, Cheapsoles

Today's Pair - Nike Air Max Penny IV (4) a/k/a The Most Overlooked Penny

Today I decided to grab a pair of Air Max Penny IV (4)'s out of the stash upstairs to rock. These are the 2006 retro's in the white / black / metallic silver colorway. The originally retailed for $120.00 but I picked them up at the Nike Factory Outlet store in Gaffney SC for only $20.00. A few words about the Nike Outlet stores, you can find some nice deals in there at times but when you are used to prices at the Footaction Outlet they are few and far between. But I always make sure I visit them whenever we're traveling and stop in a town where they have one of those so called "outlet malls". For those of you to young to have seen Penny when he was with the Orlando Magic with Shaq you need to hit you tube and take a look. He was a beast when he burst on the scene. Plus Nike had an amazing marketing campaign which featured the puppet Lil' Penny who was voiced by Chris Rock. This was back when Nike ruled the marketing world with brillant campaigns for all their athletes.

The Penny 4's are the over looked Penny's to me. People love the 1's and the 2's. The 3's are popular in the rights colorways and I don't have to mention the love we all have for the Foamposite's do I? But the 4's don't seem to get the love that the rest do. I'm somewhat guilty of it myself, I put the 4's as third on my Penny's list behind the Foams and the 1's (I don't put the 1/2 Cents in this group since they weren't a actual signature model). These haven't been retroed since 2006 and I don't remember them being big sellers then so I doubt they'll see a reissue anytime soon. Especially with the Penny 1's getting the full retro treatment this year. Yet another reason my 15th anniversary fell on the worst possible year. But I will have lots to look forward to next year at the Footaction Outlet. Till later, Cheapsoles

My Rantings, Ravings, & Complaints Posting Of The Week a/k/a Crap I Don't Like

Back on Saturday I mentioned that I planned to write another post about all the things I wanted to get off my chest but plenty of stuff came up so it never happened. Now I'm thinking that I might just make it a Monday afternoon regular just so I can include stuff from the weekend in there. Please let me know what you think or if you disagree with me in any way, shape or form.

Firstly, a few things about the "Cement" Retro 3's from this weekend. From what I gathered from the Internet and talking to a few friends from various stores the shoes didn't quite fly off the shelves like Nike sorry meant Jordan (have to pretend like they are 2 different companies or somebody might come after me) expected. I love that they released them in the retro box and from what I was told this seemed to sway a lot of none sneaker head buyers. And from the pics http://www.nicekicks.com/ had up today of the Black History Month 3's it appears to be a idea Nike Jordan is going to stick with for at least a little while. But I  also saw people complaining on Twitter that the box was sub par cardboard and not on the $150 level. Plus several people seemed to think the quality wasn't up to the level of the '06 release. But perhaps the biggest complaint was the fact if Nike Jordan was going to go all out with the retro box and key chain and OG colorway why didn't they just go all the way and put the Nike Air logo back on the shoe like the original versions. As for why they didn't sell, seems like Nike Jordan over produced them and maybe, just maybe, it was a little early in the year to drop one of the headline retro's of the year. You had the Altitude 13's, the white / black / varsity red 13's, the Doernbecher 3's, and the Cool Grey 11's all drop in December along with people having to buy Xmas gifts for people and in the first month of the year your going to ask the to drop $150 on another pair of shoes? Look I love sneakers and some people can afford that but not enough to make every pair of a widely available general release disappear in one day.

Next thing, I feel I need to clarify my feelings on the Air Force 1 after a disscussion I had with a friend at Footaction last week. I've said on this blog & have long told people my disdain for the all white & all black AF1. I just think they're simple plain shoes that only 3 type of people love. 1) people who need them for work, which while I understand, I think it's dumb to drop $90 on work shoes. 2) people who can;t dress, have no imagination, or have no style or fashion sense and want 1 shoe that will match every outfit. 3) broke people who want 1 shoe to go with every outfit, which seems mean but if your that broke maybe dropping $90 on a sub par quality shoe isn't the best idea. How about $30 on some skips that will probably last you just as long and then focua the other $60 on bettering your life and situation. As for the rest of AF1's, I don't really have a problem with them as much as I do the people who seem to think they are the only shoe Nike makes or still think they're in style. The AF1 was the it shoe for a few years thanks in huge part to Nelly and I'm sure it will be again but the only people rocking AF1's are folks in the country. Sorry but it's true, I can't remember the last time I saw a video or award shoe where someone was wearing some AF1's or the last time I saw people showing up at the mall before opening to get the latest AF1. A few years ago colorways sold out in a day, now they don't sell out in a month.  They'll come back around in a few years (like those ugly ass Gucci clothes that are in style every 6 or 7 years) and people will be running back to the mall to get them until Nike runs them into the ground again dropping a colorway a week and flooding the market. I won't be one of those people but guys like the man in the Footlocker store video who said he had 1500 pairs of shoes & over 1200 were AF1's will be there. By the way, that doesn't impress me in the slightest.

That brings to the third and final thing for now, we need some kind of guidelines or levels for sneaker heads. Just because you have a bunch of Jumpmans and Fusions in your closet doesn't make you a sneaker head. That makes you a mark for Jordan Brand who'll buy and peice of crap they stick a Jordan logo on. Seriously, if you ran out and copped the 6-17-23's like they were retro's then your not a sneaker head your a hypebeast. Now if your a Jordan head and your collection is mainly retro's of all years & numbers thats cool but if your like the guy I mentioned above with 1500 shoes & 1200 are AF1's that's not a sneaker head. Your a guy who likes AF1's not sneakers. Sneaker heads love all type of kicks, from all types of companies and all types of styles. I have Puma's, Pony's, New Balance, Reebok, Nike's, and Adidas in my stash. Real sneaker heads love retros and new releases. They get as excited for the latest Jordan retro as they do for that year's version of the Air Max. I understand we all have our one favorite brand and model but limiting yourself to one shoe just seems foolish to me.

Anyways, thats all for today. Got to save some things to bitch about next week, till later, Cheapsoles

Non-Nike Mondays - Reebok Pump D-Time "Dee Browns" a/k/a When Anybody Could Get A Signature Shoe

So I decided that from now on I will make Mondays my day for wearing the shoes in my collection that aren't Nike brand (which includes Jordan Brand also). For the first entry I went with these Reebok "Dee Brown" Pump D-Time's. This pair is the black / white / yellow colorway which was not one of the limited colorways hence the plethora of them at the Footaction Outlet last year when I picked these up. These retailed for $100.00 and I got them for $30.00 just to throw in the stash. These were Dee Brown's signature model from Reebok which he got after gaining fame in the "91 Slam Dunk contest in which he defeated Shawn Kemp (if it was a baby making contest Kemp would have slaughtered him) mainly do to the hype he created from "pumping up" his Reeboks before each dunk. His signature dunk, in which he covered his eyes, was used for the logo on the heel tab.

These were originally released in 1993 at the height of the signature model frenzy. The late '80s & early '90s were a time when athletes of all types were able to get signature models from all of companies. Grant Hill & Jamal Mashburn signed with Fila people, if that doesn't tell you how easy it was to get a deal nothing will. By the way, the Fila Mashburn's were H.A.M. for those those of you who are to young to remember them. Patrick Ewing even shunned Adidas and other brands to release his own model thru his own company and did rather good going the indy route. {Sidenote - I would love a pair of those Mashburn Fila's or the Larry Johnson Converse's if anybody has some size 12 or 13's they want to get rid of.} That was a great era for sneakers and all the companies could learn a little something from going back a taking a look at that time period. It's not a coincidence that the shoes from that era are what Nike seems to sell the most of these days are all always retroing. The shoes then were worth the money & the effort back then. They were great for the court (or gridiron, or diamond) and were great looking to rock in the hallways of school. I know I probably sound like some old geezer talking about how great the old days were but if I was wrong then you guys wouldn't line up for every new Jordan retro or get so excited whenever some long forgotten signature model gets retroed by Nike or the other brands. Hell, people are starting to get hyped for the Hiedo Nomo retro Nike is dropping this year and while he did throw 2 no-hitters most people have no idea who he is. That speaks to the love for the shoes of that era.

Well that all for now, I'll be back later with that complaining post I've been promising for the last two days. Till then, Cheapsoles

Today's Shoe - Nike Dunk High Premium "Croc Stars" a/k/a It's Sunday So Nothing To Fancy Please

Since it's Sunday I figured might as well just go with some simple Nike Dunk High Premium's from 2006. These were nicknamed the "Crocodile Stars" due to the faux croc skin pattern in the leather and the stars on the heel of the shoe. The official colorway is black / white / quasar purple and they retailed for $90.00. I recently saw a pair on http://www.pickyourshoes.com/ for $115.00 put the only size they had was a 15. I bought my pair at the Footaction Outlet (yes I buy a lot of shoes there, I know) for $30 in 2010. They stumbled across them in the back hidden away in some pile of stashed but never bought shoes they were holding. 

Easy To See The Croc Skin Pattern & Stars Leading To The Name


Nothing really that fancy with this pair, just a nice mix of colors and materials with some interesting texture thrown in for good measure. This shoe is a perfect example of why I love shopping at the Footaction Outlet (by the way, working on getting a list of all the Footaction Outlets across the country for you guys). This is the type of shoe you might pass on at the store or keep planning to get but never quite make it by the store. Or maybe every time you went to get it something else jumped out at you and you bought that instead. But thanks to places like the Outlet you can finally pick it up and at a fraction of the original price. Plus by then everybody else has either stopped wearing theirs or they arent new looking anymore and your's are fresh out the box crisp.


Now I know yesterday I mentioned that I planned to post another entry because I had some things I wanted to get off my chest regarding all the companies and various models in particular but I got caught up doing somethings around the house with the family so never got to it. Might try to get it done today but with the Championship games on plus my wife's mother and sister coming over and me cooking tonight's meal it might not happen. But Monday is empty house day so if not today then for sure on Monday. Until then, Cheapsoles.