Fly For A Flyover
Oklahoma City, OK - As a lifelong Oklahoman, I’ve heard it all: ‘Flyover state’, ‘Cowtown’, ‘Poor man’s Texas’. Heck, even ‘Okie’ was originally a derogatory term used by Californians to describe migrants seeking asylum from the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Oklahomans reclaimed this disparaging slur with a sense of pride, knowing they bring more to the table than given credit for. Oklahoma City is a culturally vibrant city, and its residents boast sneaker passion and collections rivaling that of anyone from traditional sneaker ‘hubs’. Saturday, February 8th was a cold, gloomy, northern wind-filled day, as most Oklahoma winter days tend to be. Yet, this was no ordinary day, something was brewing. Oklahomans were ready. No, it was not a winter storm that would’ve been given away by cleaned-out supermarket shelves. Walmart had all of the bread you could need. This was something else, something residents had waited their whole lives for. The sneaker scene’s arrival.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Air Jordan 1, the shoe that laid the foundation for sneakers today. It is the sneaker of sneakers. In celebration, Jordan Brand rereleased the AJ 1 ‘Bred’ for the first time since 2016. Months of meticulous work went into crafting this sneaker, the design team went to great lengths to create a sneaker as close to the original 1985 pair as possible. The process was thorough, with some members even sacrificing their personal ‘85 pairs so accuracy could be ensured. The original tongues were melted down and analyzed by a chemist to recreate the exact nylon compound. They recreated the last used in manufacturing the 2025 version to mimic the original ‘85 lasts which were hand-carved. All of this work created an extremely detailed product. Not perfect, but finely tuned and the best recreation we’ve seen. The 2025 ‘Bred’ was also reported to be very limited. Only 10,000 pairs are rumored to have been released stateside, and they were only available at 23 neighborhood stores. Whether it be the history, the fashion, the sneaker nerd facts, or the exclusivity, this release offered something for everyone.
Two weeks before the release, the official store list was announced via a graphic on the Nike SNKRS App. On it: OKC’s own Grinmore. Nestled in the heart of Oklahoma City on 16th Street, the sneaker boutique is an oasis in a once-destitute sneaker landscape. Before this, the closest option was the Galleria Mall in Dallas. Sneakers only existed on the internet, with access limited to other markets. The pride and joy of seeing OKC represented on the SNKRS App escapes articulation. Not only was the city receiving unprecedented recognition, but this meant that residents would have an opportunity to cop the most important Jordan release of the year. In the Plaza District, at around 8 pm the night before release day, a line started to form, reaching the end of the block and wrapping down a side street. Jordan Brand instructed retailers to provide the highest ‘white-glove’ service possible for this release, a command Grinmore executed to perfection. They delivered this concierge experience by only letting in a few customers at a time, carefully packaging the sneakers, and providing refreshments as they appreciated the displays and took photos. The experience was top-notch, creating lifetime memories for all participants.
When Fred and Danielle Preston chose to open their store in Oklahoma City, it was an act of trust. Market research and data showed that this was an untapped market, but could the response sustain such a business? Saturday proved that Oklahomans were worthy of that trust. The release lasted over four hours and stretched into the afternoon. The gathering throng stayed until the very end, spawning new friendships while waiting for the coveted sneakers. Some recounted memories of previous sneaker releases in OKC history, like the ‘What The’ KD 6, or the Nike PG days. Most came back to a central theme: excitement and thankfulness. ‘We finally get our own moment, at our own place.’ was the day’s resounding mantra. In their execution of the release, Grinmore repaid Jordan Brand's trust, and the local community repaid Grinmore's trust in the city.
Oklahomans have spent a lifetime relegated to the sidelines of the sneaker game. Saturday, it was our turn. The most important and limited Jordan release in recent memory visited the 405, and as always the community exceeded expectations. We now not only have access to the products we love, but we also have a place to build our community and connect. Fabled shops of sneaker lore have been but stories, now an epicenter of culture lies in our backyard. The future is exciting and Saturday serves as a marker of time. But don’t forget we’ve been here long before and will continue to be. OKC stays fly–not bad for a flyover state, eh?
