Photos: Sneaker Con packs them in at Vancouver Convention Centre West
Canadian kids love their kicks.
That was pretty obvious from the huge crowd lined up at Vancouver Convention Centre West for the second annual Sneaker Con event in our town.
One of the charms of Sneaker Con is that buyers and sellers can haggle over the price as other vendors wander about the giant hall showing off their wares.
Back in 1984, the sneaker industry came to life when former Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan was signed by Nike. More recently, rapper Kanye West has become an industry kingpin with his Yeezy line, offered first by Nike and then by Adidas.
The craze crossed the border into Canada long before Raptors fans ever considered that their team might win an NBA championship. Nowadays, the annual trade in Canadian shoes and boots is estimated to be around $7.7 billion.
Judging from the number of teenagers and young adults spotted carting boxes of sneakers out of Exhibit Hall A, more than a few of those sales occurred today at one of the country's largest footwear flea markets.
Below, you can see a few images from today's event.
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