LACED

Jason (J) Sibayan unzips a plastic bag containing his black and red 2001 Retro Air Jordan 1 "Bred Ones" sneakers. As manager of Laced, Hamilton's independently owned sneaker boutique specializing in performance retro, special edition and athletic sneakers, J and owner Pete Bakmazian know their Nikes from their Adidas. "This model is the first of the Jordan series released in 1985. It's the shoe that started it all," J excitedly explains, referring to how the Jordan series and subsequent releases created demand for sneakers among a new subset of collectors. "It was the birth of sneaker culture without anyone really realizing it," J describes. "With a new Jordan shoe released every NBA season, we just wanted the newest and coolest shoes,"  J laughs on the evolution of his inadvertent journey towards sneaker connoisseurship.

Offering over 500 styles of shoes on the retail floor, Pete opened Laced, an offshoot of clothing store City Rags, in September 2003 before relocating to Burlington and returning to Hamilton's downtown in May 2014. An entrepreneur since his teens, Pete purchased and operated a part-time shoe shine business in the Lister block at age 18 before opening a western boot and apparel business in the early 1980s. Over time, inventory evolved to more European and urban styles, which is where Pete's foray into sneakers began.

"It was my love of sneakers that brought me to Pete," J explains of how he joined the store a month after opening. "I was always that kid looking at shoes and begging my mom to buy them," J reminisces on his first pair of Wayne Gretzky sneakers when he was three.