This article was written 小萝莉影视鈥檚 news partner and republished with permission.
Customers walking into the new luxury shoe store 鈥溾�� on Lee Highway may be surprised to be greeted by a wall of juice bottles.
The real way in is through a refrigerator door, which pushes open into a showroom with illuminated shelves of footwear and display cases holding high-end fashion.
Founders Shadi Ello, 24, and Mohamed Sha, 27 told ARLnow that the speakeasy entrance is all part of a feeling of 鈥渃ommunity engagement鈥� they wanted to cultivate since opening last month. It鈥檚 also why they show only display shoes, Ello said, to encourage customers to ask store employees about sizing and color options.
鈥淭he minute someone puts that on their foot, it鈥檚 a wrap,鈥� said Ello, who explained the store only carries 鈥渄eadstock,鈥� or never-before-worn sneakers purchased from retailers. 鈥淭his is not a Foot Locker.鈥�
The store is located in an unassuming, low-slung shopping center at 5139 Lee Highway. Initially, Ello said he was worried about attracting enough customers to a high-end boutique in 鈥渄eep Arlington鈥� but so far they鈥檝e had enough customers to start running out inventory.
J弄S stocks about 4-5 glow-in-the-dark Yeezy 750 Boosts聽that run $1,000 and several sneakers from the Off-White Airmax 90 collection for $750. For women, there鈥檚 a selection of kicks from Adidas and Travis Scott in size 5 for $500.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY | Like this article? Read more by subscribing to today.
The most expensive shoe is the 鈥楴ot For Resale鈥� Air Jordan 1s聽selling for $1,500.
鈥淭he shoes just generate foot traffic,鈥� said Ello, who acknowledged many of the shoes 鈥渁re outrageously priced鈥� by design. Most of the store鈥檚 revenue comes from its apparel, he said.
The clothing sold at J弄S includes a聽$35 J弄S-branded shirt, $200 for a leather body vest from Maryland designer Daniel Green鈥檚 brand 鈥�, and a聽$1,000 Dior sweatshirt.
Ello, who grew up in Arlington and attended Wakefield High School, expected most of his customers to be in high school or their mid-20s, and was surprised by the number of middle schoolers shopping to resell kicks.
He jokes that the 11-year-olds 鈥渓ike to give me a hard time鈥� about the prices but he enjoys them coming by.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not illegal, and it鈥檚 keeping them in a safe, clean environment selling shoes,鈥� he said.
Ello, Sha, and a third co-founder say they signed a lease in the shopping center six months ago.
After three weeks of steady business, they say they鈥檙e working on turning the basement into a space for photo shoots and pop-up fashion galleries. The store鈥檚 has already filled with some of the modeling shots.
