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Burn Rubber creates niche footprint in Royal Oak
Thursday, June 25, 2009
| Source:
metromode
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Downtown Royal Oak is known for its boutiques but few have as many unique aspects as Burn Rubber.
The small business is more than a shoe store, it's a sneaker boutique. Customers don't come in to buy shoes. Sneakerheads spend days in line
Star Wars-style
to buy kicks that double as art and status symbols.
"We sell a lifestyle," says Roland Coit, co-owner of
Burn Rubber
. "It's more about being your own person. Most of the stuff we have they only make 1,000 pairs or 500, or even less, and they sell out fast. It's a lifestyle of exclusivity."
It explains why Coit and his partner Rick Williams need only 480 square feet of space and six people to do business. It's unnecessary to have a large retail floor for shoes that come in short supply, like
Nike Air Yeezys
(Kanye West's shoe) and
Clark Kent Air Force 1s
.
These shoes are often made of expensive leather and horse hair. It explains why prices can get into the $300s for a pair or even higher. Coit and Williams even know where to point people who are looking for personalized shoes with graffiti-like art.
"That makes a shoe that much more limited," Coit says. "It makes it one of a kind."
Source: Roland Coit, co-owner of Burn Rubber
Writer: Jon Zemke
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