Foot Fetish
The Vulcanized Vinyl pop-up shop promises to keep you in Nice Kicks during SXSW
Mar 12, 2012 | 11:00 am
How many time has this happened to you at SXSW: You’ve just walked from a South Congress day show to a downtown showcase to a super secret East Side field party, and your shoes are worn to pieces and you have no time to buy new ones before your favorite band takes the stage at a bar on the other side of town.
No worries, SXSW troopers. This year, Nice Kicks is partnering with Vans to set up a pop-up shop downtown for all your emergency and non-emergency shoe needs during SXSW.
The Vulcanized Vinyl Pop-up Shop is a nice addition to this city’s growing sneaker scene. Austin may not have as many sneaker stores as New York or Los Angeles, but it’s certainly got it’s own vibrant sneaker culture, says Matt Halfhill, Nice Kicks owner and founder of the Nice Kicks website.
“Austin is a town where you can go in any day of the week to some very important offices wearing sneakers with some nice jeans and a blazer and that’s not casual Friday,” Halfhill told us prior to the launch of the pop-up shop. “That’s just a Monday.”
If your heart’s set on having the coolest shoes at SXSW, be on the look out for the traveling Nice Cream Truck.
Halfhill thinks footwear trends during SXSW are changing significantly. “As hip hop has gotten a greater and greater presence at SXSW, you are seeing a lot more of the Nike and Jordan retros,” Matt explains. “Before you would see a lot of Chuck Taylors and Vans.”
If you are looking for something exclusive for your feet during SXSW, the Nice Kicks pop-up will be bringing back limited release band collaboration shoes as well. You’ll find, for example, Social Distortion, Iron Maiden, Descendents and Bad Religion limited edition Vans. The shop will also have an assortment of Vans shoes and accessories.
If your heart’s set on having the coolest shoes at SXSW, be on the look out for the traveling Nice Cream Truck. Nice Kicks modded an otherwise unassuming ice cream truck like the ones from your childhood and will be using it for exclusive shoe releases. They’ll tweet the location and you’ll be able to buy super cool shoes right from the back of this decked-out truck. Cool, right?
If you're avoiding SXSW this year, don't stress. The Nice Cream Truck will become a permanent member of the Nice Kicks family and will be used year-round for upcoming exclusive sneaker releases.
You can also always hit up Nice Kicks on the Drag if you need some new footwear before SXSW. And read about upcoming sneaker releases of new and retro designs on their website.
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The Vulcanized Vinyl Pop-up Shop is located on 313 ½ East Sixth Street. The pop-up runs from March 9 - 18, from noon to midnight each day.
