BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — If you have an old pair of sneakers sitting in your closet, you might want to get them appraised. They could be worth a lot of money.
One local business, Legion Kicks at the Valley Plaza Mall in Bakersfield, is looking to provide a one-of-a-kind service that nobody else has — at least here in town.
"So this is something that I kind of fell into, to be honest. I've always had a love for sneakers. I always had a passion for it," said Legion Kicks Owner Daniel Guerra.
Guerra's passion for sneakers has led him to opening up his own shoe store in the city where he grew up, and customers, like Jadon Valaprado, are taking notice.
"Yeah, that's cool, having a place to go to," said Valaprado. "Like, they don't have a lot of stores like that in Bakersfield, so that's cool that there is a place to go to and look at shoes like this."
Guerra says customers don't typically see resale stores like Legion Kicks in cities like Bakersfield.
"They are like, 'Oh wow, we only see places like this in the big cities!' and it makes me think, like, wow, are we really doing something that we are the first of our kind here? Not the first of our kind to ever do it, but to bring it here, so that way our money can stay here local," said Guerra.
The way reselling shoes works is that buyers will purchase a pair of rare sneakers at retail and sell them at a higher price based off how limited the shoe is and if there is a huge demand.
People have taken notice of the services Legion Kicks offers, such as free Legit Shoe Checks to make sure your sneakers are authentic.
"I love it," said Legion Kicks customer Alfredo Guzman. "I came in here thanks to my girlfriend. She's the one that told me about the store."
Guerra had his doubts about opening a shoe store at first. He said he was scared of failing, but his wife encouraged him to pursue his dream.
"I had to quit my 9 to 5 and kind of put everything on my backend, and I said, 'You know what? It's now or never. It's do or die,' and that's kind of I guess what led me here," said Guerra. "But also, you know, my wife, that's my partner. She kind of helped push me, because without her, I would still be working a 9 to 5."
Guerra says he has been doing this since he was in high school, and now Legion Kicks isn't just letting him make a living doing what he loves, but also lets him give back to his community.
"We are going to continue to do what we do; give back to the community, and continue to do our raffles and giveaways," said Guerra. "Things like that."
As a Bakersfield native, Guerra says he is proud to own a store in his hometown, and he is excited to see what the future brings.
