A passion that lasts: Nike sneaker hobbyist might have largest collection in Canada

A young Fredericton man has a not-so-ordinarycollection one he thinks is the largest in Canada.

Nick Barnes, 20, started collecting Nike SB Dunk sneakers when he was 13 because he was drawn to the storybehind each edition.

"I went strictly to just this model because I realized that there was more comfort in them, and there was just more history behind them and [they're] more than just a regular old shoe," Barnes said.

Barnes has always been a collector, whether it was rocks or Pokemon cards. But nowhe's found his long-term passion.

"I decided that I liked sneakers and then I just started collecting, and I found all these groups on Facebook and it made it seem easy to be my thing and collect sneakers," Barnes said.

Barnes estimated that he owns more than 200 different pairs of the model, but he's never actually counted.

"To my knowledge, I have the biggest collection in Canada for this style of shoe," he said.

"I don't know anybody else out there that has this style of shoe in this capacity."

Barnes has dedicated a roomin his home to his sneakers and shows off his collection at sneaker shows across Canada.

He said a pair of SB Dunk sneakers typically costsbetween $150 and $300. However, they can be more expensive dependingon what year theywerereleased, their theme and how many are available, selling for as much as $30,000 Cdn.

Storiesbehind the shoes

While still in middle school, Barnes said, he became hooked on thesneakers when he saw a friend wearing the SB Dunk model.

He saidhe still has his first pair in his garage, even though he wore them until they were full of holes.

He owns unique pairs like the "Three Bears Pack,"which features sneakers dedicated to Papa, Mama and Baby Bear of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Fredericton man's massive same-style sneaker collection might be largest in Canada

5 years ago

Duration 0:52

Nick Barnes has been collecting Nike SB Dunks since he was 13 and now has over 200 pairs.

He also hasa pair designed by Joey Bates, an American child withmuscular dystrophy, which features a green and gold design for his favourite football team, the Green Bay Packers.

The rarest sneakers Barnes owns arethe Nike SB Dunk "Day of the Dead" edition. In 2006, Nike released only 400 pairs,200 in Canada and 200 in Mexico.Barnes is in the process of getting them signed by the designer.

"I actually came in contact with the designer of the sneaker and he lives in Venezuela and he said if I shipped the shoes to him he would sign them and send them back," Barnes said.

A passion project for the long-haul

Barnes is attending Eastern College for the supply-chain logistics program, and he's hoping to turn his passion for sneakers into a full-time job by helping other collectors find thesneakers they'relooking for.

He already has connections around the world and helps other collectors find shoes through his Instagram page, which has more than 4,000 followers, sending shoes as far as Denmark, Japan and Australia. He also helps manage a Facebook page for collectors who want to show off their shoes.

When he first told his family he was collecting sneakers, they didn't think it would last. But then he bought dozens of sneakers in Grade 10.

"And then they werelike, 'OK,this is maybe more than just a hobby and it's just kind of a passion for him.'"

Since then, his mother has attendedsneaker shows in Montreal with him and Barnes said sheenjoysthe atmosphere.

In the future, Barnes said he is hoping to make his passion a family affair andpass his collection down to a child.

But until then, he's planning to continue to grow his collection.

"It's a hobby that I don't see going away anytime soon."