Walking among Montreal’s sneakerhead kings at Felix Boutique

Francesco Abbruzzo of the Old Montreal sneaker shop and espresso bar Felix has been buying, selling, and trading steez for 15 years now.

“When I was 13, I started collecting,” he says. “It became more of a passion than a job, waiting outside somewhere three days to get an exclusive drop. I had another job before this, but sneakers? They were always there.”

The first pair he ever sold were Jordan Spiz'ikes, a release in 2006 that commemorated Michael Jordan and Spike Lee's relationship, following Lee’s character Mars Blackmon in She's Gotta Have It becoming a pitchman for Air Jordans commercials.

“My first pair of Jordans were given to me by a friend who played ball. He said, ‘I think you’ll like these,’ and ever since that day, it was a game-changer. I have over 600, 700 pairs now.”