Sole Mates and Owner Parris Johnson are building community through Sneakers

“Sole Mates is all about the sneaker community,” owner of Sole Mates Parris Johnson said. “Sneakers are more than just a shoe. They’re an icebreaker, a way to get to know people. Sneakers bring people together.” 

Johnson started the store in 2018 after being a sneaker collector for years. He said that growing up, his mom wouldn’t buy shoes over $100, which sparked his interest in saving up his own money to buy higher end sneakers. 

“I’ve been collecting for many many years, and by the time I really opened my mind to re-selling as a business I had over 2,000 pairs of shoes,” Johnson said. “I had them everywhere - in my garage, in my home, in all the kids bedrooms.”

Johnson now offers high end sneakers and streetwear at his Capitol Hill shop. Located at Harvard Market, the store features a sneaker wall as well as hats, apparel, accessories and more. Johnson says that to him, shoes are a gateway to the past and the future as well as a way to build community.

“We could all be minding our business, but once you see someone with a shoe that reminds you of your childhood or an experience that you went through you end up stopping and talking to that person,” Johnson said.

His shoe collection led Johnson to the Seattle sneaker community, and as he found his footing within that group he realized the business potential of Sole Mates.

“The people that I knew were sneaker heads. As that group grew and grew, I started doing pop-ups in different cities and locations at people’s stores around Kent and Tacoma, the Pier, Bellevue Square,” Johnson said. “As that grew, I knew I needed a solid location.”

Watch the video to check out the sneakers and hear about Johnson’s plans for expansion. You can visit Sole Mates at 1422 Harvard Ave, Seattle, WA 98122.