You know what’s annoying? Meeting someone from outside the state at an airport or somewhere, who says something to you like, “You’re from Arkansas, huh? I’m surprised you’re even wearing shoes.”
Rock City Kicks founder Corey Bacon has been working hard for three years to change that perception of the state, and we recently found out that the Little Rock-based sneaker boutique will be expanding to Fayetteville this fall.
Air Jordan Retro VII (7) “Bordeaux”
Nike AF1 – Beechtree
Adidas Originals – Rod Laver
Courtesy photos
Bacon, who also plays guitar for bands Smoke Up Johnny and the Wicked Good, opened his first store in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Little Rock in 2008. After beginning with no shoe accounts, he built his business to include big-name brands like Nike, Adidas, Supra, Vans, and others, and he’s been outfitting the cool kids in the capital city with retro-inspired, fashion-forward sneakers and apparel ever since.
The success of the Little Rock location led to a desire for expansion, and Bacon enlisted his friend, (and loyal customer) Bryan Campbell Sitzes to help bring Rock City Kicks to Fayetteville.
According to Sitzes, the decision to expand in Fayetteville was an obvious choice.
“We figured if there was any other spot to open up in Arkansas, we definitely wanted to be in Fayetteville,” Sitzes told us. “It’s a college town, has a great night life, a unique music scene which sets itself apart from Little Rock’s, and basically has nothing up here like what we offer.”
Sitzes said that in addition to being the only place in the area to pick up some of the unique shoes that Rock City Kicks will offer, the Fayetteville location will occasionally have in-store DJs. They also plan to bring some of their favorite Little Rock bands to town from time to time as promotion for the store.
Rock City Kicks will officially introduce themselves to Fayetteville with a vendor booth at the upcoming Block Street Block Party on May 22.
“We’ll have a booth set up with some of our products on display, flyers, information on how to keep up with developments at the Fayetteville location, and a demonstration by our man Kreative D on how he can customize any sneakers you buy at the store,” Sitzes said.
“We’re looking forward to meeting everyone who comes by and seeing how we can make sure the store addresses the stylistic needs of the community, and also getting to know our fellow local businesses better.”
Rock City Kicks will be located at 4004 N. College Avenue (near Game X Change), and if all goes according to plan, will be open in late August/early September. To follow along with the progress of the new Fayetteville location, visit them on Facebook or Twitter.
