Sneakerheads line up for Nike Dunk Low ‘Philly’ shoes at Center City store

Sneakerheads’ weeklong wait for Nike Dunk Low “Philly” shoes ended Thursday when local streetwear and shoe stores Lapstone & Hammer and Creme opened for business.

Nike agreed to the sales exclusively at those stores before the national release as a tribute to the sneakers’ design and colors representing the city.

Lapstone & Hammer, on the corner of 11th and Chestnut Streets, saw a line that stretched several blocks as people awaited the store’s 10 a.m. opening. Those first in line arrived as early as 8 p.m. Wednesday to camp out to ensure that they received a pair of the sneakers (retail price $135) whose slogan is “For Philly, by Philly.”

» READ MORE: The story behind the Nike ‘Philly’ Dunks, featuring a color-changing swoosh and plenty of local Easter eggs

“I love my hometown, I love sneakers, I love [Nike] Dunks. So it just made sense for me to drive up here in the middle of the night to try to get a pair of these,” said Anwar Daniels, a lawyer who has collected more than 400 pairs of shoes.

Daniels grew up in the Philly area but now lives in Washington and arrived at 1 a.m. Thursday. “These are just some dope sneakers all around. … I’m happy Philadelphia has been recognized for its freshness.”

“It’s more the inspiration around Philly,” said Kevin Metz of Phoenixville, an Eagles season-ticket holder. “I like shoes. I have a few different pairs, but anything that really revolves around the feeling of Philadelphia and the spirit of Philadelphia, I’m all for it.”

The shoe, which made its rounds on social media thanks to the Phillie Phanatic and Bryson Stott unveiling the sneaker, brought in people of different ages, backgrounds, and from surrounding states as well. Brian Nadav, owner of Lapstone & Hammer, which opened in 2015, has experienced plenty of shoe drops in the past. The process starts with handing out tickets to people in line, calling them into the store a handful at a time.

But to be part of the creative process in helping create the shoe, along with taking Nike on a three-day tour around Philly? Nadav called it a “huge opportunity” and says he feels “blessed and honored” to be part of the process.

“It’s been really amazing to see the whole community come together and have such positive feedback,” Nadav said. “It’s about the people that make up the fabric of this city, the hard work, the underdog mentality, the aesthetic we have here.

“It’s our top priority to make sure that we are running fair releases, that we are a spot in the city that people know you can come to and have a chance to get a dope pair of kicks, but this [release] was a little bit different.”

Sneaker collecting may be thought of as a male hobby, but several women waited in line for a pair of the Philly Dunks for themselves or others in their families. One of the buyers was Pat Duffey of Media, who made the trip to get the shoes for her daughter, a physical education teacher at Prep Charter. Duffey says her daughter wears unique shoes to connect with her students and described her as a sneakerhead.

“It gets her cred with her kids,” said Duffey, who was in line by 6:30 a.m. Thursday. “She’s a city P.E. teacher. It helps, I think, and she likes sneakers.”

Robyn Addis of Narberth has an extensive shoe collection and was looking to add to the 70 to 80 pairs she owns. Addis said that the sneakers are organized in clear boxes in her home and that a big reason for buying this shoe was Stott’s involvement in the release, given her “100% obsession” with the Phillies.

» READ MORE: Bryson Stott and the Phillie Phanatic help unveil the Nike Dunk low ‘Philly’ shoe

“I love being a part of just the movement around having shoes, and I love this city as somebody who moved here as an adult,” explained Addis, who was 118th in line. “I didn’t even grow up here, but I’ve adopted it as my hometown, so I love being a part of that.

“My dad calls me Imelda Marcos [the former first lady of the Philippines who owns over 3,000 pairs of shoes]. … I’ve been buying a lot of the shoes that I always wanted as a kid in the ‘90s but I wasn’t allowed to have.”

Nadav, who declined to say how many Philly Dunks that Lapstone & Hammer had in stock ahead of the release, marveled at the diversity of people who showed up, calling the atmosphere “a feeling of camaraderie, the true City of Brotherly Love.”

“Nike has had a real initiative to make sure that the [woman sneakerhead and that the woman customer] really feels like that they are creating for them and have a chance,” Nadav said.

“There’s so many women that are out here that are buying Father’s Day gifts, that are buying for their kids, and many are buying for themselves, too,” Nadav said. “It’s great to see that and feel that inclusivity from a brand like Nike to make sure that everybody can get served.”

The Phillies team store at Citizens Bank Park will sell the Philly Dunks on Saturday. Nike and SNKRS, its platform for shoe releases, will include the “Philly” Dunks in its app as of June 17.