Sneakerheads in the metro D.C. area and beyond have a new place for collecting and trading vintage sneakers.
Even more, Restocked Sneakers in Leesburg, Va., owned by long-time sneakerhead Dana Green, has allowed the fledgling entrepreneur to surround herself with the kinds of people and products she loves the most.
Over the years, Green and her husband, Reggie, built Concrete Mixes Inc., a successful commercial concrete business. Then the pandemic hit. Dana, who longed to start a business all her own, began to explore the idea of opening a sneaker store and pitched it to her husband.
“[Reggie] thought I was crazy,” said Dana, who owns 50 pairs of sneakers. “He always complained about my sneaker collection. I had also made our kids sneakerheads who have the latest, greatest sneakers.”
The Greens lived in Prince George’s County when the sneaker store idea first came up where being around other sneakerheads was commonplace. Then, the couple moved with two of their children, both in elementary school, to Loudoun County, Va. where far fewer sneakerheads resided. Still, Dana stayed true to her entrepreneurial aspirations.
Eventually, she opened the business and in short order, families began to frequent the store.
“Now I see kids from age five, who know everything there is to know about sneakers,” she said. “Their parents bring them here like it’s a field trip. It’s amazing!”
A potential customer reached out to Green by email to discuss selling a pair of sneakers. When the customer arrived, he said he had been emailing her and had scheduled an appointment. Dana did not know until their meeting the age of her mystery customer: 11-years-old. She thought the email exchange had been with an adult.
“I’ve been selling sneakers a year and he came in grilling me,” Dana said, laughing. “I had to sit down because I could barely see him over my counter.”
At the other end of the age spectrum, she said she had a customer who was 80-years-old and showed her his collection of 300 sneakers. The business continues to be exciting and she said she loves it.
Owning Restocked Sneakers serves as a far cry from Green’s goal to be a pilot when she entered Delaware State University. As only one of two female students in the university’s Airway Science Management Program, she faced a hiring freeze at the Federal Aviation Administration upon graduation. But another career opportunity dropped in her lap.
“I found out the Secret Service was hiring. So I said, ‘OK, I’m jumping on that,'” she said. “I excelled working for the Secret Service but I started a family and it became difficult to work in law enforcement.”
She remained working for the federal government, then jumped into real estate. However, when her daughter was diagnosed with motor skills development issues, she decided to buy into a ” Little Gym” franchise. The healthcare facility works with young children with motor skills development challenges.
She said she thought it would be easy – little did she know.
Little Gym opened at the start of the recession that welcomed President Obama’s first term administration. After two years, Green closed her franchise. The Obama administration was clear on being pro-minority business. That is when the commercial concrete idea bubbled up in a golf course conversation. With confidence, her husband Reggie said, “We can do that!” So they did.
“We knew absolutely nothing about concrete at the time, Green said, about starting the business, but they got plenty of contracts. “Our business grew from us leasing five mixer trucks to owning a fleet of 40 mixer trucks in D.C.
In her heart, Green was born to be an entrepreneur. Her grandfather, who had a business as a barber, always inspired her.
“That’s what I wanted to do,” Green said about following her dream. “I always knew I wanted to own my own business.”
Check out Restocked Sneakers on their website at https://restockedsneakers.com.