LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Hundreds of sneaker fans gathered in Lexington Sunday for SNKR BST, an event the organizers call “the largest sneaker and vintage clothing expo in Kentucky.”
More than 100 resellers were set up at the event, held at the Clarion Hotel off Newtown Pike in Lexington, according to SNKR BST co-founder Tyler Foley. A steady stream of people came and went from the event, whether they were selling, buying, or trading.
Shoes featured at the event were both the sort you’d see at traditional stores as well as very expensive and rare ones.
“People have a hard time accessing these products, the demand and the supply don't meet each other,” Foley said.
Making the event unique was simply having thousands of sneakers in one place.
“That's an opportunity that doesn't come around too often so people try to take advantage of that,” Foley said.
Like many consumer products, inflation has pushed the price of shoes higher over the past year.
“It's made a lot of items more difficult to get,” Foley said. “The items that were already difficult to get to begin with are becoming more difficult and that has just risen the prices of everything. Sneakers that may have went for $250 last year are going for 300 now.”
It’s the result of inflation, supply and demand — issues the whole world is facing, Foley said.
At Sunday’s event, he estimated $200,000 worth of shoes were sold.
“It's absolutely incredible,” Foley said. “We started this event and we had 15 tables and 40 to 50 people and we built it into as big as it is today.”
The event showcases the culture that surrounds ownership of sneakers, which Foley said has soared in the past few years.
“People really do have a love for shoes,” said 17-year-old Branden Lee of Elizabethtown, who said he has made $4,000 selling shoes across January and February of this year.
“It's just a culture there is a lot of people that care very heavily about sneakers believe it or not,” he said.
The expo will return to Lexington in a few months in a larger space, Foley said.
