Walkin' on Air

Lowell, MA man is an intrepid collector of Nike's reissues of classic Jordan sneakers

By ANDREW RAVENS
Lowell (MA) Sun

LOWELL -- Some people collect rare stamps. Others collect baseball cards.

Saroeun Kan gobbles up sneakers.

But not just any sneaks -- Air Jordans -- arguably the most popular and sought-after basketball kicks ever created.

Kan, 21, of Lowell owns 15 of the 20 different Air Jordans issued by Nike since 1985. Jordan, a division of Nike, began re-releasing the sneakers as “retro” Air Jordans in 1995 and most of Kan's collection comes from those reissues.

Priced at about $125 per pair, Kan knows his hobby is expensive, but says his efforts are “well worth it.”

“I started working at a shoe store and became hooked,” said Kan, who is now employed at Giovanni's Trends at 134 Merrimack St.

Last Saturday, Nike re-released the Air Jordan X, the same sneaker Michael Jordan wore in 1995 when he returned to basketball after taking a stab at professional baseball.

“It's still the thing to have,” said Giovanni's Trends co-owner Greg Harding, speaking of the retro Jordans. “It's Nike's best.”

The Air Jordan brand is the longest-living shoe franchise, according to Theresa Tran, a Jordan spokeswoman. Tran said Nike does not release sales figures, but it's well-known that the reissued sneakers typically do not last more than a day on store shelves.

“You always know about the release dates,” said Harding, who explained that he has a core group of Jordan customers who eat up new releases. “I love them (Air Jordans), but I pass them on to my customers.”

Kan believes the Air Jordan X release will do well everywhere because of the shoe's dominant colors, red and white. Kan says color, more than anything, drives the sales of athletic shoes.

Nike capitalizes on this and typically reissues Air Jordans in both traditional and new colors.

Kan says he'll likely buy two pairs of the Air Jordan X -- one to wear and the other to keep nice and new in his closet.