Meet Small Town Sneakerhead Reggie Ward

Inspired by his father who taught him how to express himself through clothes, sneaker collecting is a passion he now shares with his son. “I started getting into kicks when I was about 9 or 10 because my father always had nice sneakers, and it became a family trend from there,” said Reggie Ward.

Collectively Reggie and his son, Tyler Jordan, own a treasure trove of nearly 400 pairs of sneakers stacked floor-to-ceiling in boxes and display cases in Reggie’s “showroom” and “stock room.” Prize items from the collection include Tyler’s first pair of baby sneakers, several Air Max collabs, and Louisiana-themed pairs like the Crawfish SB, Gumbo League Kobe, and Jordan ASG.

In addition to actual sneakers, Ward like passing on his stories and knowledge of the sneaker world and the history of different sneaker collections to the next generation. He also enjoys sharing with Tyler how wearing certain styles made him feel like as a kid himself, especially since being from a small town sometimes made it difficult to cop the latest, most sought-after releases.

Fortunately, the internet and online sneaker shops have made the game a bit easier for Tyler. And while he has a certain nostalgia for being a part of the early days of sneaker collecting, Reggie admits that the accessibility that the internet has provided sneaker collectors is something he has enjoyed and taken advantage of over the years.

These days, Reggie and Tyler continue to fuel their passion for casual fashion footwear through watching countless sneaker videos and continue to grow their sneaker collection through a combination of shopping online and in-stores for the latest launches, hottest collabs, and newest tech. Some collectors may think that the best sneaker shops and biggest drops can only be found in the big city, but Small Town Sneakerheads like Reggie disagree. He’s always seen being from a small community that doesn’t rely solely on the internet to dictate what’s hot as a benefit to his collection, rather than a hindrance.

In fact, some of Reggie’s favorite pickups over the years have been purchased in-store from his local Hibbett when other retailers were sold out and out of stock online.

The Small Town Sneakerhead Story

Sneakerheads come in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, and locations.

You don't have to be from Chicago to know Mike.

You don't have to be from Uptown to know Uptowns.

In fact, some of the biggest hotspots for sneakerheads and sneaker culture are in the small towns across America, and no one knows the small town sneakerhead scene like Hibbett | City Gear.

Hibbett started small in rural Alabama in 1945, and this year we're celebrating 75 years of small town sneaker culture and shining the spotlight on small town sneakerheads across the nation in partnership with Nike and Nice Kicks.

Small Town Sneakerhead is a multi-episode video series that showcases the diversity among footwear enthusiasts, taking viewers through a day in the life of several footwear aficionados and sneaker collectors as they share their stories about how they got into sneaker collecting, what's in their collections, and what they are most excited about for the future of sneaker culture.