Many of you sneakerheads know about Sneaker Con and other big sneaker-related events, but now it’s time to check out up and coming kicks happenings like the Show Me Kicks Expo in St. Louis, Mo.
Chris Simmons is the founder and one of the brains behind SMKE. Simmons, who was raised in the Lou, started this kicks event back in 2014 and wants to take sneaker enthusiasts and casual sneaker fans and bring them together to converse about the growing culture. Simmons hopes that SMKE’s attendance will increase each year and eventually become a must-hit event for known collectors and fans.
“We’re trying to make it huge and make it something that we can do year after year and eventually take it on the road to some of these other cities.” Simmons said. “Show Me Kicks Milwaukee, Show Me Kicks Houston, Show Me Kicks Chicago, that’s one of our goals when it comes to the Show Me Kicks brand.”
Buying, selling and trading is a huge industry and one where someone can make a good amount of cash. Yu-Ming Wu is the founder of Sneaker Con and to this day, is still the Godfather of sneaker events. Yu-Ming is a big inspiration to Simmons and he hopes to get SMKE to that level.
“That’s the expo that all of us are striving towards when it comes to sneaker conventions. Definitely the grandaddy of them all,” Simmons said. “But what I think we have here is definitely a good starting point and we’re building and creating a differentiation as a hub for not only sneakers, but for art and music as well.”
SMKE St. Louis will kick off at noon on July 23 at the Peabody Opera House and wrap up around 5 pm. There are going to be thousands of kicks to buy, sell and trade. On top of that, Jumpman Bostic, who is a renowned Air Jordan collector, and artists from the St. Louis metro area will be in attendance.
If you’re looking to expand on your kicks collection or even become a kicks enthusiast, definitely stop by SMKE for the hook up.
For more information check out ShowMeKicks.com or their Instagram at @ShowMeKicksExpo.
