Jordan Heads
As he worked on Jordan Heads, his documentary about collectors with a deep love and affinity for Air Jordan sneakers, Calvan Fowler noticed two things. One: Folks who eat, sleep and breathe Air Jordans are all over the world, obsessively collecting the kicks and related paraphernalia — but there was no retail destination for this avid customer base. Two: While the culture surrounding Air Jordans came from hip-hop and the hood, Black people were not owning and monetizing their creativity.
“That’s the case with a lot of things we create,” says Fowler. “Whether it’s dance, fashion or science, we don’t get our just due.” Instead of allowing these persistent thoughts to gnaw away at him, the native New Yorker parlayed them into his own business. In 2014, Fowler opened Jordan Heads, an all-Air Jordans specialty boutique. (And the documentary comes out next year!)
Jordan Heads consigns, buys and sells Air Jordans — from that limited edition you just missed, to those classic J’s you always wanted as a kid. But Fowler’s boutique pays tribute to multiple elements that have played a role in the sneaker’s icon status. The space is plastered with floor-to-ceiling memorabilia including newspaper clippings from Michael Jordan’s college ball days and his Wheaties box; the official movie poster from Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It” and a Sal’s Pizzeria box from the film; shots of ‘80s and ‘90s entertainers rocking Jordans (Michael Jackson, Eazy-E, Heavy D & The Boyz, etc.); and decades of sneaker ads ripped from magazines.
“When people come here, they say it reminds them of Old Brooklyn,” says Fowler. “I'm very proud to provide that museum type of feel. I've had people get a little teary eyed looking at the walls because it brings them back to a certain time in their lives.”
“When people come here, they say it reminds them of Old Brooklyn.”
No matter the style, color scheme or generation of Air Jordans you seek, there’s a pair for you here (along with new and vintage Air Jordan apparel). It’s why Jordan Heads has become a destination for collectors worldwide. “There's a lot of people who would never have come to Bed-Stuy that are coming to Bed-Stuy now just to come to this store,” Fowler says of his far-flung clientele. And if you’re wondering, “Why Brooklyn?” Michael Jordan was born here.
302 Malcolm X Blvd, 347-690-0235, jordanheads.com
