How North America’s Few Female Sneaker Storeowners Are Changing the Game for Women
When it comes to sneakers, women often have to work harder.
Take Abby Albino and Shelby Weaver, who opened Makeway in Toronto in November 2020, a boutique catering to the female sneakerhead.
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To speak with FN for this story, Albino hopped on the phone at 10 p.m. local time in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she was fulfilling her other role as head of business and brand strategy for Canada Basketball during the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup. As for Weaver, she fielded a phone call in her car in Toronto, during a three-day break after a trip to Los Angeles with the Toronto Raptors, where she is the director of basketball operations and culture.
“Abby and I are at our best when we have a lot on our plate. It’s not easy. You sacrifice a lot. You miss a lot. But we both believe in this,” said Weaver.
Makeway is one of the few sneaker stores in North America solely owned by women, joined by Premium Goods in Houston, Wish ATL in Atlanta and Sally’s Shoes in El Monte, Calif. To launch and sustain their businesses, each has faced numerous challenges.
Take, for instance, access to money.
“Female-owned businesses are some of the most underfunded,” said Weaver. “Generally, it’s hard to get capital from banks and we’re kind of in a recession, so loans are hard to get, money is hard to get. The creativity that it takes to fund something like this is a challenge, though there are easy ways out that we could take because we’re a small business.”
But they have persisted and succeeded in building dedicated followings and establishing strong reputations within a male-dominated industry as major arbiters of sneaker style.
Sally’s Shoes owner Sally Aguirre has more than proven her longevity as a retailer. After selling shoes throughout the 1970s from her father’s stores in Boyle Heights, Calif., Aguirre opened Sally’s Shoes in 1988.
“I love the term OG because I am an OG,” Aguirre said while rattling off the original style numbers of the Nike Cortez. “I still open boxes, I still sweep. I will still pack and unpack because I stay humble.”
And though Makeway is the youngest of the group, it’s making quick progress. In June, the store moved to a new location at 91 Walnut Ave. The shop spans 6,000 square feet — six times larger than the prior space — and houses its Mackhouse customization business and a snack and coffee shop, dubbed Goodies.
Albino said that there’s reason for women entrepreneurs to believe store ownership is possible, even if the representation is still small. “For any woman who’s hoping to open a sneaker store, there’s so much support from brands to do so,” she said. “They’re recognizing that there’s an issue here and we need to create equity within the sneaker industry.”
UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS
The sneaker industry has long had a reputation as a boys’ club, often illustrated in its choice of nightlife activities.
“Back in the day, a brand had a launch party at a strip club. I went, but that’s not my type of night,” recalled Jennifer Ford, who opened Premium Goods in Houston in 2004. “It can be uncomfortable to sit next to people you work with in that environment as a female.”
A lot has changed for Ford since the early years of her business. She is now a wife, a mother of two and has established herself as a force in footwear. From that position of power, she’s no longer willing to place herself in uncomfortable situations, even if it will help her get ahead.
“I recently went to a trade show and all the guys were going out at night. It was clear, everybody was going to the strip club. In the past, I felt like I had to go. This time, I didn’t,” she said. “I’ve made my mark. Networking could be done during the day.”
The storeowners all admitted that they have come up against an inordinate amount of doubt over the years, where their opinions have been discounted solely because of their gender.
“Going into a room as one of the only female storeowners, you have to talk louder to have your voice heard on the same level as your male counterparts because sneakers, inevitably, are seen as men know more about them than women,” said Julie Hogg, co-owner and CEO of Wish ATL. “And when you’re speaking to the women’s fashion side of the business, sometimes males try to speak on behalf of what the woman consumer wants. It can be humorous when there are women in the room and the males continue to speak on what women want.”
Aguirre recalled an instance from the early days of her business, where she was dismissed by neighboring retailers.
“When I opened my store in El Monte, there was a store down the street and they sold Nike. I didn’t have a Nike account,” she said. “It was two brothers and they would come into my shop and say, ‘You’re never going to get the Nike account.’ I said, ‘Watch me.’ Guess what? With persistence, I got it. I got it and they’re not there anymore — but Sally’s is still here.”
UNIQUE CHALLENGES
When it comes to running their businesses, these storeowners have learned important lessons about how to cultivate an environment that’s welcoming to women.
“Pay attention to the culture you bring into your store,” said Ford. “Your employees are important. Surround yourself with trustworthy people because it’s easy for people to see a woman and think they’re vulnerable and weak.”
She noted that it’s especially important to have a great security system and cameras. “I had many occasions where people tried to break in or felt like I was an easy target because I’m a female,” Ford said.
For Albino, that need for security extends to her customers. “We’ve had women get bullied on sneaker lines and come into Makeway in tears telling us what happened,” she said. “That’s a big part of why we created this space. We want it to be safe. That’s a big challenge that isn’t talked about enough.”
To combat the issue, her store works with a women-owned security company for in-store drops and events, because, she explained, women are more likely to notice the microaggressions that men might miss. And the staff at Makeway have been instructed to immediately notify a manager if they see any questionable behavior in the store.
This approach, Albino said, has been welcomed by Makeway customers — including men. “I just had a father of a 12-year-old text me and was like, ‘She loves your store because she feels like she can hang out and feels welcome.’ That is exactly why we do this,” she said.
MAKING THE DREAM WORK
Although they all have their own businesses to build, a sisterhood among the storeowners is developing.
“Everybody vents to me, honey,” Aguirre said with a laugh. “I’ve tried to help so many people for the past 35 years. I have so many girls that come into the shop, and I listen to what they’re going through.”
The communication within this burgeoning network is intentional.
“Abby and I are fierce about connecting with other women in this space. One thing unique about the female ownership system in sneakers is that everybody believes more is better. There’s power in us,” Weaver said. “We’ve been able to connect with these women and they’re open and willing to share.”
In May 2022, Nike paired the storeowners together for a panel for its “Future 50 for Her” event at its Los Angeles headquarters. Also included on the panel was Beth Birkett Gibbs, co-owner of Union LA, who runs the show with her husband, Chris Gibbs.
In the time since, the Makeway owners said the group has talked fairly often, and they have formed an extra tight bond with Ford and Birkett Gibbs.
“There’s a beautiful sisterhood happening right before our eyes, and there’s a push coming from all the major brands to be more involved,” said Ford. “People from lots of brands have reached out to connect me with females interested in opening stores. I tell them my email and phone are open. Anything to help.”
Jordan Brand, Nike, Puma and friends inside other major sneaker players, Ford said, have connected her with women interested in store ownership.
This empowering moment for women storeowners has also inspired Wish ATL to become more vocal.
“[Wish ATL founder and co-owner] Lauren [Amos] and I want to be a voice for the business side,” Hogg said. “It’s important for young, impressionable female minds to be able to reach out and say, ‘What does it take? What do you do daily? What’s a P&L? What’s a budget sheet?’ When we speak to something, we’re not just speaking to it from a girl in fashion. We’re speaking to it from a business standpoint.”
Several of the women-owned stores come with a built-in support system in the form of a partner. Hogg has Amos. Albino and Weaver have each other. However, as a sole owner, leaning on women leaders from outside of sneakers have become a key to success.
For Ford, she has her nine Delta Sigma Theta sorority sisters, who are in a variety of professions including doctors, lawyers and more. Also, Ford — a mother to Sophia, 8 and Jake, 6 — is a member of Jack and Jill of America, a historically Black mother’s network that aims to provide social, cultural and educational opportunities for youth. She said she often sits with other mothers and talks about business and how they can help one another.
“It’s not like you rent a store and it comes with a manual,” Ford said. “If you don’t have any business experience or anyone to help you, it’s intimidating. It’s scary and you are at risk.”
Regardless of who is listening, Albino believes outside relationships allow her and Weaver to know they’re not alone.
“The same issues we’re having, they have as well, and if they’ve been able to navigate around it, they’re willing to give us the cheat codes,” Albino said. “Makeway is North America’s first and only sneaker boutique for women, completely run and funded by women. We absolutely do not want to be the last. More women-owned boutiques would make the industry better. Why would we want to be the only ones? That’s crazy.”
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