The other day while we were checking out the inventory at West Loop sneaker and urban wear store Self Conscious, it appeared like a mirage in the desert -- a pair of the much-coveted Air Yeezys, perched on the back wall. It was like an Elvis sighting. Who the heck knew there was an unclaimed Yeezy out there?
The Air Yeezy, designed by Kanye West, has been on every sneakerheads must-have list for months. When the Black Yeezy was released earlier this month, folks slept outside of Niketown on Michigan Ave. to snap up a limited pair of Yeezy's. The shoe completely flew off the shelves within hours of its release, and soon after there were bids upwards of $1,000 for the Yeezys on eBay.
So why the heck was this lone pair sitting unclaimed? According to Self Conscious' Aron Hanson, the store held a silent auction on May 2 where they turned the back room of their loft-like space into a glow-in-the-dark themed playground and invited customers to bid on the 18 pair of Air Yeezy’s they had in stock. The highest bid went for $800. There was one pair of Black Yeezys left over from the affair, which was the one we spotted.
If you're still trying to get your hands on a pair of Air Yeezys, Self Conscious, along with their north side store Encore, will be hosting a second silent auction. They will be auctioning off 5 pair of grey Yeezys (they dropped in April), and five pair of the black. The auction date will be posted on Facebook and on their MySpace page.
We thought about keeping this information to ourselves, to increase the chances of snagging a pair in the auction. But that would be just Heartless.
Itika Oldwine is a member of the NBC Chicago Street Team.
