Walking among Montreal’s sneakerhead kings at Felix Boutique

How passion and a pair of Jordan Spiz'ikes became brick and mortar reality for Francesco Abbruzzo at Old Montreal's Felix Boutique.

J.P. Karwacki

October 13, 2023- Read time: 6 min

Selling steez since he was 13. | Photograph: Instagram / @franabbruzzo

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.”

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