ATEAM SHOE SHOP

2011 in review...

2011-12-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

With 2012 upon us and the world ever-changing (hopefully more for the better), I have a few things I need to ask:

1. Are you lost in your ways and looking for work, a partner, new style, etc.?
2. Are you stuck in your 2005 wardrobe...jerseys and tilted hat?
3. Are you looking for poorly manufactured, retro-Jordans available at the mall that anyone, including your little sister and grandma, can get??
4. Still wearing over-sized New Era fitteds with your pants hanging past your underwear?
5. Want to stand out and not be a clone in the crowd?

Should I keep going, because I think you get my point...
THE SHOE GAME HAS CHANGED!!!!!!!!!

It is about style, comfort, versatility, originality and buying products that make a difference and don't need HYPE to sell! ATEAM has ALWAYS been true to our values and will continue to do so next year launching our own brand which gives back and makes sense to consumers who lead, not follow. It has been a great 2011 in regards to sales numbers BUT, it has been an awful year watching people trying desperately to look cool and stuck in their old-hip-hop days. In case you haven't noticed, those hip-hop fashion icons are not rocking the aforementioned looks, they are dressed UP, more sophisticated and definitely wearing a nice pair of shoes, not something they could play streetball in! They stand UP and stand out, exactly what we strive for.

A LOT...I mean A LOT of changes for 2012 as we are going to revolutionize the things we do and how we do them. We are excited for change, never nervous about the future, just cutting our own paths and blazing trails for others to trek with us!

Peace, LOVE, Health, Happiness, USA and to a brilliant 2012!!!

The ATEAM

The NEW Dunks!

2011-11-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have seen ANYONE wearing a fresh pair of Dunks which leads me to believe the sneaker aficionado has moved on...rightly so. All those crazy collaborations and lame attempts at being cool have finally broken through to the mainstream and the only people wearing them are kids or doods who found them off-price, probably at Ross or Marshall's. Not hating, just saying it how it is! With that said, in my eyes, the NEW Dunks are the Supra Vaider Lows (see two below). Such a great fitting shoe, excellent support and an ACTUAL shoe designed for skating with technology supported by R&D. The new Holiday packs from Supra, www.suprafootwear.com are straight clean and classic. I am excited to see some color coming back to the shelves as 2011 has been very conservative from our suppliers. Obviously we have these in the the shop but I am not trying to 'make a buck' just blogging about how I feel and what I see. Peaces Ninjas!!

Supra Vaider Low - Grey/Neon

Supra Vaider Low - Black/Red

Grown Man Shoes

2011-09-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

This is my newest reference in regards to shoes we carry...'Grown Man Shoes'. This comment may not make sense to some but the majority of our consumers don't want the same shoes as a 10 year old boy. A Grown Man Shoe is something we wear to work and can play in as well. A dressy sneaker with style and substance. You can close a mega-deal then wear the same shoes to the ball-game or mixer after work. Brands fitting into this class...Atelier's Arthur, Clae and Pointer...some of my Fave's right now.

Defy Magazine

2011-07-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

Peep out this article about ATEAM in Defy Magazine, http://www.defymag.com/Ateam. It is the Tito Ortiz cover for those going to Barnes & Noble.

2011-07-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

One of the newer brands to ATEAM we have been building awareness and selling is HABITAT. Coming from the skate world, I am always looking for the return or new product offering from some of my favorite companies. For those who don't know, HABITAT is the sister (or brother) company to ALIEN WORKSHOP. Their creative genius internally continues to drop great design and concepts through their offerings. These shoes, the Ibex and Charter, are from a collection called 'Capture & Create'. The shoes are designed with materials and inspiration from old 35mm cameras (which used actual film). The black leather, tan patches and laces coupled with the silver accents truly feel like the original camera I grew up with. The insole have illustrations of the cameras and the BEST part to this package is this was derived from the past HABITAT skateboard tour where the team used these cameras and shot on film (no digital imagery) for all the ads and company imaging. Truly amazing, artistic, creative and original...what I love about most skate companies. There is one more shoe in the collection coming next month...stay tuned!

Anti-Jordan

2011-04-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of kids from Fresno came into the shop tonight, laced up in Jordans. THEY thought their style and especially their shoes were the shit and they were super dope! Of course, they approached the front counter and began to drool over the rare Jordans we have on display. As soon as I dropped the $300+ cost on them they backed off and left themselves vulnerable for my 'assault'.

Those of you who personally know me already understand my distaste and anger toward the 'new-era' Jordan product and consumer. Any color that was NOT worn on the court during an NBA game should be illegal! Any retro sold at Finish Line, Shiekh, Foot Locker or your general mall shop are garbage. These new-era Jordans are made for the masses. I come from the days when you wore a pair of J's you had a MAD b-ball game. You were the first guy picked at the playground. You took the ball to the rim with flow and had flight and air in your style. People were f'ing KILLED for their Jordans back THEN...seriously...shot, stabbed, mugged and/or killed.

So what happened??? Nike knocked themselves off...horribly! They opened distribution and made the product with cheaper materials and appealed to the masses. Unfortunately, for those who aren't paying attention to US economics, a lot of the people who were buying trendy sneakers, lost their income and had to 'cut-back'. The malls started getting more populated with people having a place to be seen and heard and Nike/Jordan obviously needed to be in the hearts of the masses. Wearing b-ball sneakers and jeans is a BAD LOOK! Do we wear dress shoes on the basketball court??? So why would we wear basketball shoes to work or dinner. It doesn't make sense and although I have over 500 personal pairs of Nike and Jordans, you won't see me wearing a pair unless I am playing ball!

I directed my new found Fresno friends to the Fox Hills Mall, after my voice was clearly heard, and watched them scurry off into the sunset to join the masses.

Simple Shoes

2011-04-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

I remember around 1991 when I first saw Simple shoes. I was stoked to see something from a new company that was a mash-up of Vans/adidas/Converse with an environmentally friendly message. 20 years later we are going to bring Simple into ATEAM for Earth Day and beyond. Peep these out and see if they bring back some memories...

ATEAM SHOE SHOP: Native Shoe Company continues to raise the bar wit...

2011-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

ATEAM SHOE SHOP: Native Shoe Company continues to raise the bar wit...: "Native Shoe Company continues to raise the bar with classic styles and colors. I am continuously impressed how well in touch these guys are..."

2011-02-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Native Shoe Company continues to raise the bar with classic styles and colors. I am continuously impressed how well in touch these guys are with their product, marketing and branding. I look forward to a long relationship selling Native shoes at ATEAM. The Fall "Jimmy" Boot and "Paddington" Boot are really going to put this company on the map. Forget the Crocs reference, Native is for real and on their own path to success in the footwear market for a long time.

What has Jersey Shore done to fashion?

2011-02-03T11:10:00.001-08:00

Remember when you would put on a pair of sneakers and feel as if you were 'money'? New kicks, fresh colors, cool style and something you were proud of finding. The hunt, the statement, the story, all parts of what made your look so important and made us feel good. Well, along come those guys on the Jersey Shore...I have watched the show just to see what it's all about and have to say, I am saddened at the effect ignorant people have on our culture. Talk about killing all styles in one fell swoop. Let's look at a typical outfit for any of these tools...tight, over-logo'd tee-shirt, True-Religion jeans and a pair of white/white Nike's. Now the style...spiked, greasy hair, fake tan, tattoos all yoked out with an ego and attitude that they are the shit! Seriously?!? Is this a good look? Are you willing to be 'classed' with these buffoons and act like an idiot? The worst part pertinent to what we do is 'they' have killed the simplicity of denim and a pair of sneakers. I used to be stoked on a comfortable, casual look but now I have personally shelfed those kicks and stay far away from the MTV BS which is all about ratings. Now these misfits are going to Italy to represent the USA and bring their 'look' to a foreign market. This is how WE are perceived and we wonder why we get a bad name. Drop the faux-style, have some individuality and let's get back to rocking some kicks that make us feel 'good' again.

A World of Change

2010-12-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

I feel like I need to share my thoughts and feelings on a more frequent basis but honestly don't want the biters and hater to cop my style ;) Regardless, I see a world of change ahead in the footwear sector. Gone is the basketball shoes and jeans look. Big logos and bright colors belong in the mall. Fluorescent is for kids and there should be an age limit like pigtails on a grown woman (not acceptable if you're over 30). So what is the look and who am I to say?!? Someone who has grown up and changed as the world does I guess. We don't watch the same TV shows we used to glue ourselves to the set every week, we don't eat the same pb&j sandwiches as often and we want more usage out of our consumer goods than when we were younger, maybe a less 'mature'. Again, just one mans opinion but one I carry over into the footwear world. Although I boost a collection of well over 600 pairs of sneakers, I want a pair that is easy to wear as a 'hybrid', i.e. with shorts, jeans, out to dinner and to Disneyland. I want the"four C's"for shoes...comfort, casual, clean and classy. There are too many brands that deserve shelf space, who make shoes with heart, that care about the environment and the way their products are produced. I will spend more for less and that is something I never thought I would say. So as I grow, mature and lead the direction at my shop, I entice all to see outside the HYPE and get into something so fresh and so clean clean :) Peaces!!

GOLA...105 years of Heritage!

2010-11-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

Being from England, I have always had an admiration for brands which were born in the Mother Land. Burberry, Ted Baker, Dr. Martens, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce to name a few. I just read a book about the history of GOLA and learned more about the brand than one could imagine. What started as a football boot turned into the main supplier of footwear for the British Army during WWI and WWII. Today GOLA is a global, classic footwear brand which remains true to their football heritage with silhouettes like the Quota, Quince, Quicksand and Infinity. We are carrying these shoes in mens, womens and kids sizes now and plan to expand the offering in 2011.

Lebron v. Kobe

2010-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

I have been reading and hearing about who would win 1v1 and Kobe said 'this' and Lebron said 'that'...blah blah blah!!! Isn't basketball a team sport? Weren't the FIBA Worlds about the name on the front of their jerseys? How did the so-called 'B-Team' go undefeated and bring gold home to the USA...they played as A TEAM and won FOR their country! And why is this relevant to my blog today...because of who we are...A TEAM, and we operate as a team. We bring in product from companies who want to be part of A TEAM, we sell that product to our customers (you) who are part of A TEAM, and we work together as a unit, a family, A TEAM. So to all this 1v1, self-induced, ego-centric banter, I say who cares as life is better as A TEAM :)

A Short Film

2010-09-19T23:54:00.000-07:00

One of our Best Customers, Alex Hufschmid, is a shoe guru, fashionista and film school student. This summer I had the pleasure of helping Alex with a mini-documentary on sneakers for his USC film class. Barring the time constraints and me looking a little older each time we filmed ;) I think this is a good piece to check out. Let me know what you think!
http://gallery.me.com/alex_hufschmid#100031

SUPRA NS just arrived...

2010-09-06T20:40:00.001-07:00

Each season I look forward to NEW Supra offerings as 'they' continue to drive the direction of materials in the market. For Fall 2010 there is an incredibly soft grey waxed fleece, cabernet patent burgundy and navy seersucker. ALL are in the store and look and feel amazing! Of course these are the limited edition and only here for the Fall season.

The Freshness continues...

2010-08-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

As we continue to clear the clutter of the brands you can find at EVERY store in the mall and the people wearing their products are the one's desperately searching for an identity yet rocking the same shoes as 10-year old boys (you know who you are !) ATEAM brings in assortments from some of the freshest brands out there! We have introduced Native, OeTZI3300, Keep, Home and United Kranes to our shopper's delight and now have Ateliers Arthur dropping this week. Innovative, versatile, classy, dress-sneakers made with Nappa leather and an incredible attention to detail. Giant logos on the side of your shoes and wearing basketball sneakers on the street is so 'dated'. Time to grow up, get your feet into something new and be relevant!

Native Shoes...fad or fashion??

2010-07-31T00:12:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I am a Crocs 'hater', so when the guys from Native first showed me their line-up I was highly skeptical as I felt they were too much like Crocs. I have always said anything your grandma wears isn't cool and when approx. 50% of the people I saw rockin' Crocs (a lot w/ Socs) I felt there was nowhere to go but down. Along comes Native with Vans, Converse and Clarks silhouettes in 'Crocs material' (foam resin, plastic) and to my astonishment have ABSOLUTELY Killed It! Comfortable, fashionable, functional, lightweight, durable, colorful and FUN! I copped a pair and so did just about every person who tried them on. We have reordered them 3x in two weeks. I wonder if they will be a fashion brand for some time to come OR just a fad? I think they have some longevity with some of the new uppers they are dropping later this year but fear the 'knock-off' artists who are hot to trot on catching lightning in a bottle and killing a brand (as we saw with Crocs). My biggest question in ALL of this...how did Crocs NOT come up with this first?? I am sure they would have been successful but whose to say to what will happen for all companies in the compression molded footwear category...time will tell.

New Brands and the potential downfall...

2010-06-11T22:36:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a minute since I posted something relevant, but being a small business owner, juggling a family and trying to keep up with the best product to bring to my people takes a lot of time and dedication :) Regardless, I am always working, constantly listening and sticking to my values and beliefs in the ever changing footwear world.

My biggest question I have is 'where have all these NEW companies come from'?!? Every week another new brand pops up with uber cool kicks and a funky name/story which I find very interesting, only to learn they are 'financed' by a Chinese factory who are building shoes designed in the U.S. by some fresh designer and trying to capitalize in a cluttered market. I am not going to mention any brands out there and have definitely seen some really cool concepts/materials/outsoles/etc. but the problem is the people running the factories know how to make a shoe but don't know how to sell a shoe. When they get hot in the U.S. and the designer/creator of this new brand goes back for more product/marketing dollars/etc. the sh#t hits the fan and they usually fall short getting the necessary working capital to get to the 'next level'. I am down with doing it all yourself but the footwear industry has way too many 'established' companies waiting for the fresh product to come out and knock off, hence putting the small, new up-start company out of business :/ Rambling, I know, but just thinking about what I am seeing.

There are a lot of new brands coming to ATEAM the next few weeks and hopefully they are 'not' what I have mentioned, but WE are always going to go with our gut and the people who sell us the product. If they are real, we will believe!

KEEP Footwear

2010-05-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

Another FRESH brand in the market is KEEP Footwear. A very clever team of hip players have built a clean line of comfortable, sleek footwear, all 100% cruelty free and full of flavor! ATEAM will be bringing in some of the new goods for Summer so stay in tune with the website (which is in the process of being redesigned).

Superga...99 years old and still stylin'

2010-04-20T00:35:00.000-07:00

In 1911 in Torino, Italy, Walter Martiny started the production of rubber-soled footwear branded with the Superga logo. In 1925 his designs expanded to include footwear with vulcanized rubber soles and the Superga 2750 Heritage was born!

After the war, Superga restarted operations solely in the production of high-quality footwear. In the 1970's, Superga diversified to add sport shoes with technical attributes. Now the collections include Superga City leather and Superga Country rubber rain and outerwear boots in addition to the original Superga Vulcanized and Sport lines.

The 2750 has been an icon from the beginning. Long a favorite for taking Italians from the city to the beach to weekends away, it is easy to wear and designed to dress up casual sportswear. Superga 2750's can be washed like your favorite jeans to create your own vintage look.

In stock now for men and women, Superga is a must have shoe for the Spring/Summer season!

My visit to the Mall

2010-04-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

As most of you know from our assortment we carry @ ATEAM, we pride ourselves on finding companies who have great product, excellent in style and rich in heritage. People come to ATEAM for our 'alternative' collection in search of something different and not what everyone else has.

With that said, I was with my family yesterday and made a trip to the mall, which is something we seldom do. To my astonishment as I ventured through all the stores with footwear (Finish Line, FootLocker, Champs, Shiekh's, Tilly's, Zumiez, etc.) I found the EXACT SAME selection in EVERY store!! Not only that, but the few people scattered around the mall, were identical to each other, wearing the same shoes and acting like Lemmings. Not to point out which store carried what but the over-abundance of Nike, Converse, Vans, Creative Recreation and other 'main-stream' product made me sad! These are brands a couple of years ago I thought were on the fore-front of the footwear game. Now they are everywhere and ANY ONE can get them. There is nothing exclusive about that! Let alone the quality of the goods were atrocious and when a company decides to sell to the masses, quality and cost are the first key ingredients which are neglected. In addition, when these companies decide to focus on the big-box stores and 'forget' about the core sneaker shops that put them on the map, it is practically impossible to get any back end customer service when 'they' are dealing with multi-million dollar accounts with A LOT needs and support.

Please don't take this as an 'Anti-Mall' post as I know the malls have a place for a lot of people, but I am affirming the direction of ATEAM and our product selection to have shoes you WILL NOT see at the mall and on every person lurking around their specific levels of the establishment.

ATEAM will continue to bring you new product, historic brands and QUALITY, COMFORTABLE footwear that doesn't need a 'puppet' or mass-advertising to 'convince' you they are good shoes. Stand out, stand up and BE ORIGINAL!

THE Hundreds Summer Footware

2010-04-08T00:32:00.000-07:00

YO! So, we got THE Hundreds Summer '10 Footware line dropping TODAY (4/8/10)! There are NO images online yet as we are one of the first stores to receive the new kicks. We have the Valenzuela Low in Black as well as Purple, plus the Johnson Low which is a sick two-tone Navy and Grey and lastly the Johnson Mid in three colorways...Black Suede, Grey Suede and Turquoise. ALL the Johnson Mids have a speckled outsole and are ridiculously ILL! Another tidbit of info to share...all THE Hundreds footware (that is how THEY spell footwear BTW) is named after famous LA athletes. I think you can figure out who they are and when the 'Wayne' drops as a new style later this year you can probably guess which Hall of Fame L.A. Kings player these were named for.

Get your Hundreds on quick cause these bad boys sell out FAST!!!

SUPRA NS In Store Tomorrow

2010-04-05T00:19:00.001-07:00

I am SUPRA stoked on the new NS line! Supra has gone beyond taking an inline product and changing the colorway and material to designing some HOT new silhouettes with lower profile outsoles and canvas uppers. The Assault in Gingham Navy and Steve Aoki, Strapped 2 White are two of the sickest shoes for the season. We also have the Cuttler in Cream arriving tomorrow. Peep 'em out and get them on your feet as Supra is already SOLD OUT and we only have limited runs coming in!

GOLA is coming...

2010-03-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

Another direction we are going with ATEAM is seeking out some of the OG's of the sneaker world. As we tend to think All-American, especially in these times of March Madness, we have to remember the roots of where we as a country came from...Europe! There are SO many brands with rich heritage that evolve from the 'motherland' and one of those is GOLA. Over 100 years old and one of the original soccer sihouettes, GOLA has some of the coolest, vintage kicks I have seen in quite some time. In the very near future, there will be mens and womens sneaks dropping in the store very soon! Peep these puppies out...

Nike Vault

2010-03-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

I know I have been downgrading my opinion lately on Nike's current offerings and the consumers purchasing them, so I went to my vault and dug out some of my old faves! We have a decent amount of sizes in the store now and here are some of the kicks I ressurected:

Skylow Red, Black Tie-Dye

2010-03-13T00:27:00.000-08:00

I remember first seeing this shoe months ago when I was putting together Spring '10 orders and didn't think much of it. As I took it out of the box today, I was quickly reminded as to why SUPRA is so high on my list of brands that 'get it'. The materials are rich in texture and the colorway is vibrant yet clean. SUPRA continues to evolve in the shoe game and from what I have seen in their future lines they only get better!

Spring SUPRA's In Store TOMORROW

2010-03-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

Spring is just around the corner and it is definitely time to get out of those thUGG boots. SUPRA has some Fresh & Crispy sneaks dropping tomorrow @ ATEAM. New materials, color-ups and updates to existing styles will get you started off right for the season. Stop by and be the first to flip the script for Spring.

Have you heard of HOME?

2010-03-06T23:24:00.000-08:00

Once again in my desire to have the best footwear selection @ ATEAM, I have found another brand which is rich in heritage and uber cool! HOME footwear has all the ingredients to be a major player in the shoe arena. Peep out http://www.amomentinyourlife.com/ to get some knowledge on the brand. Elvis is ALIVE in these blue suede bombers!!!

United Kranes are HOT!

2010-03-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

I have been in the footwear industry for over 20 years. Being the creator of ATEAM SHOE SHOP has given me the opportunity to sell many brands and products but never in all my years have I come across a product which SOLD OUT like United Kranes, http://www.unitedkranes.com/. True sneakers with style, comfort and a unique look have made these shoes one of my all time favorites in only a couple of weeks! We are awaiting more product as we are selling through at an incredible rate. Stay in tune at www.ateamshoeshop.com.