Source: Eastbay / Eastbay
Anyone who says they had this on their 2022 bingo card is a liar. On Tuesday (Dec. 27), news broke that longtime athletic footwear and apparel supplier and retailer Eastbay would be closing shop at the end of the month.
The end of an era. @Eastbay
pic.twitter.com/S5vWuOTyFX
— The Loose Laces Podcast (@looselacespod) December 27, 2022
For sneakerheads who came up in the 90’s, the Eastbay catalog was akin to the Bible when it came to eyeing the latest offerings from brands like Nike, adidas and Reebok. The direct-mail retailer’s catalogs served like a wishlist of coveted kicks like Air Jordans (any number), Air Max 95’s, Reebok The Questions and many, many more.
The prices on display also gave you a sobering reality when it came down to what you could and couldn’t afford, and strategizing what kicks you’d be able to get your coins together to cop, or beg your parents to buy for you. Now they also serve as a time capsule of what kicks were and weren’t popping during those halcyon days of the sneaker game when you didn’t have to essentially play a version of the lotto to score a pair of coveted sneakers.
But alas, Eastbay will close reportedly at the end of 2022. According to WPR, 2about 10 employees will be laid off. Eastbay was founded in 1980 in Wisconsin, and purchased by Foot Locker in 1997, giving it access to an even wider range of sneakers, apparel and gear. But back in October 2022, Foot Locker notified officials in Wausau, WI that it would be closing Eastbay’s distribution facility in the city by early 2023, citing “opportunities to optimize our U.S. distribution network to serve our customers nationwide more efficiently and effectively.”
Cold game.
See social media reactions to Eastbay’s unfortunate demise in the gallery.
2.
Eastbay will be closing at the end of this month.
Iconic memories. pic.twitter.com/UIKkWIxTWU
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 27, 2022
3.
Just learning about Eastbay shutting down in 2023. Hate to hear it. This magazine was my wish book in the 90s. pic.twitter.com/B6pMHATx3d
— Owen (@75toRupp) December 24, 2022
4.
Me not having made an Eastbay purchase since 1995 being shocked that they are closing pic.twitter.com/iOLCyBTY8n
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) December 27, 2022
6.
This pains me. Getting the Eastbay catalog and hitting school the next day was a moment this generation will never know. Also, being able to order stuff from that catalog that now is looked at as "classic" is something I def will never take for granted again. https://t.co/YNb0DMEpxw
— Wells P (@Wells_P) December 27, 2022
7.
End of an era
Thank you for the memories, @Eastbay!
(
: @the_sneaker_dad) pic.twitter.com/DEjTblE0IO
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) December 27, 2022
8.
respect to eastbay. the motivation behind all my childhood fantasies of things I wanted but absolutely could not afford to have. I cherish the memories of circling items on eastbay pages. https://t.co/GOSMaeHAQ7
— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) December 27, 2022
9.
Eastbay held us down, man. circling sneakers you probably weren’t ordering, but you still did it for the love.
showing the homies the new heat when you got to school or on the block.shoes never looked cooler than they did on those pages.
— R&B Mari (@Mariannoo) December 27, 2022
10.
First Footaction, now Eastbay… nostalgia at its finest.
Who remembers the cheat code for Eastbay? When you could call at 11:50-11:58pm on the night before a release and talk to a customer service rep and once it hit midnight, you ask for the shoe and you could order!
— Darryl Glover (@_Brotha_d) December 27, 2022
11.
The Eastbay catalogue was the window shopping of my youth.
— Alexis Morgan (@alexismorgan) December 27, 2022
The post Recipes Lost: Eastbay Shutting Down At End Of 2022, Sneaker Twitter Reminisces appeared first on The Latest Hip-Hop News, Music and Media | Hip-Hop Wired.