The Johnjay Van Es Podcast
From the mastermind behind one of the most popular morning shows in the country, Johnjay Van Es brings his signature blend of curiosity, humor, and fearless honesty to the podcast world. If you’ve ever had a question on your mind but were too afraid to ask, don’t worry—Johnjay’s got you covered.
With hilarious, jaw-dropping conversations, amazing guests, and the inside scoop on everything you actually care about, this show is a wild ride through the stories you’ve never heard and the truths nobody else dares to say. Whether it’s celebrities, trendsetters, or just the most interesting people on the planet, nothing is off-limits, and no question is too bold.
Come for the interviews. Stay for the insanity. This is the podcast you’ll be talking about. Don’t miss it!
The Johnjay Van Es Podcast
From Street Hustler to Sneaker Mogul. Here’s How He Did It!
He begged for a job at Foot Locker. Now he runs a sneaker empire!
Ryan Gazinski’s story isn’t about luck, it’s about relentless hustle, real relationships, and doing the work when no one’s watching. From cleaning floors for $6.75/hour to building Guest List, designing for the Suns, and creating a three-story retail concept with Ronnie 2K, Ryan’s built it all without shortcuts.
🔥 If you're into sneakers, startups, or just stories about grinding until it pays off, this one’s a must-listen. Tap in.
okay, so welcome to our podcast. This is a little bit different today, because this podcast is a spin-off of our radio show. All right, welcome to my podcast. I got a cool guest today. I'm pretty excited about it because I've been trying to lock this guy down for a while. Ryan Gazinski, the owner of Guest List. The shoe store yes, right, and it's not just any shoe store. How do you explain what your shoe store is?
Speaker 3:I mean, guest List is like an exclusive vibe. We have, you know, a ton of different shoes and apparel. We kind of cater to like athletes, artists, and we bring a bunch of different apparel that's not in this state to this state so, um, I know a little bit about your story and I want to get back to your story in the beginning.
Speaker 1:But let's talk about where you are now, because now you got something in san francisco, you open a new location. Like what, where are your locations? Right?
Speaker 3:now. So right now we uh, we have a location in Scottsdale Fashion Square, we have a location in Arizona Mills Mall, and then we have a new concept in San Francisco and that's called Levels, and my partner in that is Ronnie 2k, and we built a three level experience basically. So we have an event space on the top floor, we have a retail on the street level and then we have a speakeasy in the bottom level.
Speaker 1:So it's the levels um. My son dutch is here, he's. He's my co-host today.
Speaker 2:So when he says ronnie 2k you know exactly who that is yeah, man, it's the face of 2k.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nba 2k yeah, we explain a little bit more. What do you mean?
Speaker 2:he's like the 2k media guy. Like when you think of 2k, you think of ronnie 2. You got Flight yelling at him on stream. I know Flight, flight's a guy that says that he's always like man F Ronnie.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Ronnie takes the good and the bad for 2K for sure. Yeah, he's sick. But we partnered up. Guy Fieri actually introduced us and we were flying back from an all-star on Guy's private jet. We had hit it off on a conversation. We were a jet, we had hit it off on a conversation, we were doing all-star, all-star, all-star and we were like yo, we gotta do one san francisco's coming, it's your hometown, you have a space there like let's bring this to life. And he, basically, we decided to try to bring the game, like the 2k experience, because he brings all the apparel into the game. So let's make a physical location to where, like, game meets real world and we tie all the apparel in so you can come buy it at the space.
Speaker 1:Where in San Francisco is it?
Speaker 3:It's located like five minutes from the Chase Center. So right as you walk out our door, hit a left, walk down 100 steps, you're at the Chase front door.
Speaker 1:Explain the Guy Fieri. I always say his name wrong, but Guy, like connection, like how did you get to be with him?
Speaker 3:So Guy's a wrong but guy constant like connection, like how did you get to be with him? So, guys, is a really good friend of mine, one of our, a football player family of mine um, that was really bad.
Speaker 3:So they're gonna have to edit that, but uh, yeah, it's all good, my guy, marcel reese, introduced me and guy and me and guy hit it off rider. Actually guy's son, me and him became real close. I was styling him, giving him all his shoes, taking care of him. Then you know guys, his heart is huge. So he just was like you're part of the family, basically. You know, every All-Star we'd be together, we'd run in all these rooms, have the dopest parties and he put me on to many great experiences and then it's history.
Speaker 1:So we just became family. You to Johnny 2K.
Speaker 3:Next thing. You know you're opening up this Ronnie 2K. Yeah, now you get the hang of it.
Speaker 1:Sorry, man, that's why I have him here, exactly Alright. So now, and how's it going? How's the new location going?
Speaker 3:New location's amazing. It's a new concept, so it's interesting. We're still trying to figure it all out, but we have. I mean, we just had a watch party for the Warriors and we did it with prize picks and that went amazing. We had about 150 people down there enjoying betting on the game live. Right there, we gave away a Jeff Hamilton jacket. It was a vibe, Really really cool, the Jeff Hamilton dude.
Speaker 1:I've seen him on Instagram at the Suns games. Right yeah, what's his story?
Speaker 3:He's amazing man. He's another family of mine. We actually we met many years ago all--star as well and we've hit it off ever since. He's like the creator of the jacket, so like when right the iconic kobe picture where kobe's like holding the trophy, like that's jeff hamilton. He made that jacket when jordan won all the, all his championships, all them jackets were jeff hamilton. But jeff's been doing this for like 30, 40 I mean I feel like 40 years, right, but he's he's a talent with the jackets and he knows everybody yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's get. I want to get to you a lot, actually, because I know a little bit about your story, yeah, but like, where are you from?
Speaker 3:I'm actually from Connecticut, mm-hmm, but I grew up here in Arizona. I went to high school out here, where did you go to high school out? Here. So where'd you go to high school? I went to high school at Dobson for a little while, and then I graduated from a charter school, um ACP, out in Mesa.
Speaker 1:So yeah. So then what, like, how do you get from a charter school? For how do you get from Dobson to this?
Speaker 3:Um, basically, I mean, I always had a passion for just buying and selling products. I had many jobs, you know, just always had a passion for that. But I got a job at Foot Locker at 16. So that's where, like shoes, fashion, culture, that whole thing, it was like birth right there.
Speaker 1:Which Foot Locker.
Speaker 3:I started at Fiesta Mall.
Speaker 1:Man, that's not even there anymore, not even there.
Speaker 3:All right, so you get to, which is crazy, because I'll give you the other one. So I started at Fiesta Mall and then my first store where guest list really started. It was called Swag and it started at Fiesta Mall.
Speaker 1:Oh, really 15 years ago. I used to bus tables for my dad's restaurant in eighth grade at Fiesta Mall. What was the restaurant? It was called King's Table. It was an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord. Wow, that's crazy. It was so gross because back then you could smoke in the restaurants and I was bussing. So I was 13, 14. And I had to take mashed potatoes that had cigarette butts in it and put them on it. It was terrible, but I just had a core memory of Fiesta Mall when I was a kid.
Speaker 3:That's the core memory. That's the core memory.
Speaker 1:That and my dad. I remember when they were building the restaurant, my dad took me in the kitchen. I had to pee so bad I got to stand in the kitchen. He picked me up, put me in the kitchen sink and I peed into the sink and I thought that was really cool. But okay, you're 16. What yeah, dude?
Speaker 3:He said you ain't let me pee in no studio yet.
Speaker 1:So you're 16. You're a footlocker, yeah.
Speaker 3:What's your job? At Footlocker I started as a part-time employee. It literally took me like four or five interviews. I would go. I wanted the job so bad I went back for like two months straight, before they even gave me an interview. I would just go dress up, put my button up on, you know, go in there like please give me a job, please give me a job. Finally they took a chance on me. I worked myself up from a part-time employee all the way to becoming a store manager and I mean over the years I won like highest sales book for like the region, for the state. They gave me plaques Like they took the gamble and that was well worth it.
Speaker 3:But I was willing to work really hard. That was the one key. I was willing to scrub the tiles from the front to the back, do whatever job came my way. I wasn't big for nothing. I just I would just wanted to make a name for myself and I was just doing it at Foot Locker and at that time, like without going to school or not, like that, it was pretty much college for me. But I didn't really know that till I got six years in and I realized then I just went to college for business, like cause it taught me everything. And then I really just like I finally got my store to become a store manager and was like, oh yeah, we just need to open my own store. So one year I've had of, one year of getting to become a store manager after working five years to get there. I literally called my DM and was like I'm opening my own store and she was like you're crazy, you're, you're not ready, it's not gonna work.
Speaker 1:Well, I wish you luck you know how old are you at this time 21 21. You're ready to open your own store? Yeah, but that means you must have made relationships with shoe people. What gives you the inspiration to open your own store?
Speaker 3:Like I said, the passion for buying and selling a product was always there. You know, then I did meet many great relationships, athletes Like I worked at Chandler Mall for a while so all the Cardinalsinals dudes were coming in, like all the rookie cardinals dudes would always come through to buy shoes. So when they came to buy shoes, like we would always exchange numbers, I'd, you know, try to hold them some shoes, get them some stuff that was like limited or exclusive, that they couldn't find, and then basically just my name just stuck in some phones and like be like, hey, ryan, I'm looking for jordan, you know 17. And I'd be like, oh, I got you, you know what I. And I'd be like, oh, I got you, you know what I'm saying. And then I'd go find, I go source it, find it and then bring it back.
Speaker 1:So what'd you do? Call your Nike guys and you do me a favor. No, I just there were.
Speaker 3:There was these like sneaker shows back in the day that were like all over the like.
Speaker 1:You know, it was like there was like sneaker con and you would didn't read any motivational books. You did what. What did your parents do for a living when you were growing up?
Speaker 3:my dad built airplane engines at honeywell and my mom was a hairdresser wow, man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what about brothers and sisters? Not only child. So you didn't read anything, this is just instinct just added in yeah, I'm gonna work my. So your parents were like you need to go to college no, they I mean they didn't even really force me.
Speaker 3:I kind of got in some trouble as a youngster. So you know, that steered me like a route. And then I realized in that route, like this ain't really what I want to do. You know, I really want to do something. I really want to make a name. I really want to like become something. So I literally just clicked. I don't even know what it was, I just knew I was going to let's go do it. I just went right to it and I never looked back and I just stayed running this route and it's been a marathon.
Speaker 1:But when you got in trouble were you already at Foot Locker.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like you, were at risk of losing your job at Foot Locker, and that scared you.
Speaker 3:They took care of me, man. They came in and fought for me. Foot Locker did yeah, my manager. She came to court for me. They got me on a work release program.
Speaker 1:Oh, so you got serious trouble.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we got to edit that. But yeah, yeah, that's good. Yeah, I did, and they really backed me and I really kept spilling my passion back into them because, I mean, somebody cared. You know what.
Speaker 3:I'm saying I think a lot of youngsters and a lot of people that are going through things they don't have want to be associated or overlook it. It's a tough, it's a tough thing. So the more that I try to get back to all these kids nowadays and like just me just giving game and running the back, I'll try to steer any of them away from doing bad stuff and just stick to it, because it just it reroutes you. You know what I'm saying? You take time, you lose time. It's not worth it. So you gotta. There's only one path. It's the right path. There's no.
Speaker 1:Is there somebody that, like, inspired you in footlocker? Is there somebody that was like your mentor that you looked up to? No, no, I mean, there's nobody not really.
Speaker 3:I mean I had a. I had a really good manager and then a really good like uh well, she was like a senior manager, so yeah, I mean I really they were cool to you.
Speaker 1:You'd call them up, say, man, I need some help yeah just just always.
Speaker 3:She was a manager for like 25 years so she was just. You know. I could talk to her about everything. She understood, she related and she loved that I worked hard, so she was willing to back me.
Speaker 1:So when you decide to open up your own store, you said 21 years old. 21 years old. How do you get the finances and where do you?
Speaker 3:go, 20 grand saved up and what so? Here's the crazy thing. So the like, back in the day, the leasing lady at Fiesta, where there were some people up in in the office that I used to sell like bootleg wallets and bags and purses and watches Cause I was already, like I told you, I was buying and selling products I used to set up at 40th street at the swap meet and sell those products. I would literally buy a booth and it was $25 to buy a space, set up, sell those products and make a great money every weekend. And then I took that I was selling them at the mall.
Speaker 3:The leasing lady was like, well, she knew me from Foot Locker and then so I was selling her some. And then she's like, well, how are you going to open a store? You can't really sell this stuff here. I was like, no, I'm going to sell apparel and shoes. And like I pitched her this dream and she was like, yeah, I don't know. So I partnered with basically like my older brother, like a mentor that I did have in my life, and I was like, look, I want to open this store. You know I love this. Um, let's do it. You know what I'm saying so I have my little 20 grand and he backed the other 20 grand and we opened the doors.
Speaker 1:that's crazy, crazy and then, how do you get the relationships with like? So if you've got Nike and Adidas and Puma, like, is that you just call them up? Hey, I'm opening a store, or did you have those relationships at Foot Locker?
Speaker 3:No, so we didn't. We always have done shoes not through an account. We've done shoes on like a consignment basis basically. So like, since I was doing shoes and collecting shoes, like shoes have paid my whole life, like I had, you know, at one point in my collection I of shoes and then when they were like stock, so as they went up in price, I would take them and sell them and buy more and just play the stocks games with shoes. And still to this day, like I still play stock game with shoes. You know, I've only lost a little bit in the process what year was this, by the way, uh?
Speaker 3:2011.
Speaker 1:We opened the store you know, the first high-end shoe store like yours that I ever saw, ever heard of, was called high point high point adrian wilson's store, adrian Wilson's store. It was a great store, I know, and it's funny because he would hook me up or I would have to Him and I had the same size shoe. So whenever he got a cool pair of shoes, if he didn't take it then I wasn't able to get it.
Speaker 3:That was a great store. See, they were a real retail account accounts. So we had we had to go the other route. So we basically went to find streetwear, which was like you know it was. It was a weird market because it didn't really exist yet. Foot lockers weren't buying streetwear like the mainstream stores weren't really buying it. But it was like a booming market because, um, I mean, it was like exclusive, it was different, it wasn't for the masses, it was like so basically there's a clothing show in vegas called magic. It's a magic convention or agenda. So those were like the two big clothing shows.
Speaker 3:So you would go to these clothing shows and it'd be, uh, designers from atlanta, chicago, new york, you know all these different places, and they'd basically be showing off their apparel and you could buy it wholesale. So, and some of them had names. I mean, there was some, you know, solid brands that were running around at that point that were at the show nike, puma, new balance, all them were at the show. But a store like mine they wouldn't pay no attention to, right? You know they would pay attention to adrian wilson, you know, he was an athlete, you know. You know blah, blah, right. So we had to build ourselves up with brands that didn't exist in the mainstream, right, but that was the cool thing and that's what made us having exclusive stuff that you couldn't buy at you know the Nordstrom's and the, you know Macy's and all that. We had the cooler stuff.
Speaker 1:Do you have relationships from those days that have come up with you?
Speaker 3:All a bunch Now like now, you're just. I mean, I've had, you know, some of those are 15 year relationships that we've been doing stuff, and those people have, you know, transitioned their brand from a $2 million brand to a $20 million brand you know.
Speaker 1:But like the street where you have right now a lot of stuff you have to, is also your own brand, right?
Speaker 3:Yeah, right now we're doing a lot of you know I do a lot of guestless apparel. I have a brand called authentics. Um, that one, we, we do that. We sell that wholesale to about 75 different boutiques throughout the States.
Speaker 1:So so that's a. You know that's crazy. Yeah, we have fun with that?
Speaker 2:how did you learn like bookkeeping and stuff like that is still a challenge.
Speaker 3:Is it because that's like I mean, like I said, full locker kind of taught me you know what I'm saying. But now you know I get you a good cpa, that's that's key one in business. Get you a good cpa and taxes, because that's the two things you need for sure. But I mean really spend all on your card, make sure it matches up with your books, report your sales, do your taxes, stay out the way.
Speaker 1:What about finding good people to work for you?
Speaker 3:That's the key ingredient to this whole process. I look for people like myself. The kid that comes in that says he's willing to do whatever and work really hard. That's like the best thing. I try to just find those all the time, because that's what makes great teams. You know, I try to just find those all the time because that's what makes great teams.
Speaker 1:You know people that are willing to do every position. So when you were like, coming up, you didn't care about the money. You didn't care about the money, you wanted to get me in there Because, see, I think you're a very rare breed right now there's a couple other people I know, like you, that will bust their ass.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter how much, just get me in, I'm going. I mean, I've worked, I've had people on on my show. They'd be like well, pay me this much and I'll do this much. It's like no, that's not how it works, it's a backwards formula, right right. So you're like I'm going to get hired at 13 bucks an hour and I'm going to bust my ass.
Speaker 3:Hey, it was 675 back then, it was literally like 675. So how do you compete with right now like?
Speaker 1:minimum wage, I mean like mcdonald's charge is paying 22 bucks an hour.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy. So how do you get good people? Because it's just, we have a lot of. I mean, I look for the people that are willing to grind and grow. See, I went through that formula so there's like I wouldn't take nothing back from it. So I like anybody who's willing to work through it, because you're not going to get it on the first try, you're not in this world. All this social media, everything's teaching you like everything should be right now. No, that's not it. It's you got to work for it. Some people can skip the steps, but not many people get to skip the steps.
Speaker 1:Somebody had to instill this in you somehow. Your dad, I mean, are your parents still around? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:My dad was a hard worker. I mean he worked every day, all day, honey. Well, he would take all the overtime he would get. So he was working 70, 80. I feel like he was working 70 hours a week. I only feel like I really saw him. So the hard work was definitely instilled, the hustle and just that. I mean, like I said, I can't even pinpoint what it was, I just loved it. I didn't mind, I didn't mind putting in the grind, because I always knew inside my heart where I was going to go, no matter what. I just knew what I wanted and I knew that I would just set my goals and then little goals and achieve them. That was it. There was no special formula. The only formula was hard work. Did you write down your goals?
Speaker 1:or just knew them in your head. I just knew them.
Speaker 3:I talked I mean I when I drew up the first story. It was crazy. On the piece of paper I was like it's going to be this and this and this, and you know I changed that 6,383 times as it all happened.
Speaker 1:You know multiple pivots you know I mean to go from 16 begging for a job at Foot Locker to pulling up here in a Rolls Royce.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean bro we put a lot of work yeah, we put a lot of work in right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, not. You have any questions for Ryan. It's a great story. Thank you, man. That's not a question, no.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying I said to Dutch I go, you know, be prepared, have questions ready. He goes, I got it.
Speaker 2:I got it.
Speaker 1:I'm just listening right now, man, I know you're listening but you also got to interact.
Speaker 3:I'm studying the game. There we go.
Speaker 2:I'm a student of the game man.
Speaker 3:What's your passion right now?
Speaker 2:Right now. I love fashion, basketball and music. There you go, that's three that I had in my belt.
Speaker 3:Who are some of the?
Speaker 1:artists, the musical artists you've had, come into your stores, oh man, or you sold to.
Speaker 3:We've had a lot of great people. 50 Cent is a huge one. We've had Waka Flocka is another big one, chief Keef's another big one, man, the list goes on.
Speaker 1:So how does that happen? Is that list goes on. So how does that happen? Is that through connections like how do you get 50 cent to go?
Speaker 3:to az mills. Um, that was through a good connection again, hard work over the years, building relationships, staying genuine, um, just doing good business. Because a lot of people in the industry no matter what they just in any industry, most people don't do good business. So once you're building a name, I mean my name was more important than like a couple dollars here and a couple dollars there. So I always shot it straight with everybody and those relations that has panned out heavily for me because nobody can really say anything bad on my name and they know like, oh, that's great to work with him.
Speaker 1:No, you're right. I mean, the man is only as good as his word.
Speaker 3:My father always told me and I think that's yeah, that was learned for sure.
Speaker 1:Like so you got a great reputation partnerships and um actually.
Speaker 3:And I shot my guy, simon, that owns a liquor store out here like on seventh and southern. He is big time distributor for liquor so he had 50 coming to sign at the store. So I contacted him. He got me in touch with 50s people. 50s people were like, yeah, we'd love to do it. Yeah, so they came to the shop.
Speaker 3:When fifth came to the shop we had the print shop next door. So we print all the apparel um which we manufacture for the sons and all that. We could talk a little bit about that. But 50 came to the store, walked just like, I think, wowed a little bit at like damn, this entrepreneur, this dude is, this kid is you know he's doing it right. So he literally had his dude that I booked everything with. Call me back like a week later and said, hey, we'll start running our production through you. So I got 50 cents g unit. Uh, like I was, I've been running all like their power stuff, some of their tour merch stuff, like anything that he needs, website stuff, they. He literally had them call and set me up. I've been running all like their power stuff, some of their tour merch stuff, like anything that he needs website stuff. They he literally had them call and set me up so I've been printing. Yeah, 50 cent G-units.
Speaker 1:But you don't sell it, it's for them.
Speaker 3:We just manufacture it for them and send it back to them so they can sell it on their website on tour.
Speaker 1:Pop up whatever they're doing. That's freaking nuts man. I mean where you at right now in life is crazy.
Speaker 3:That was a great moment, I mean. Fifth was like definitely to me, like was like an inspiration. Like I went to the mall, I think I went to Arizona Mills to get his you know, when he dropped Get Rich or Die Trying CD, like I was in middle school and I went after school to go grab that CD and like put it, you know, put it in my, my tape deck and I don't think it stopped for like a whole year, I just played that but when he comes in and you're like in awe that he's there, do you say pick out any shoes you want, pick out whatever you like.
Speaker 3:Whatever you want, dude I mean I was just like you know, like, yeah, they were shopping and I was, like you know, obviously like just a good heart in it. I'm like, oh, if there's something you see, you like you know he, he liked everything. He picked out my brand. He's like what's your brand? That's how much of a dope person he is. He's like what's your brand? I want to, I want to buy what's yours. So he, he bought some authentics and wore it that night in his meet and greet.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm saying like god, what a great guy, yeah great, great human, and it was so dope because I respect it, like everything he's done so like just standing there and being able to soak up game. He kept asking me questions and I couldn't even really get no questions off and I'm like, damn, I want to ask you something, bro. Like, and he just he was asking me like so how does this? Oh you print that? Oh that, like it was just a dope moment, like I couldn't even recite it back. It was so crazy. It was just like a real feeling what do you? What's?
Speaker 1:your deal with the sons what do you mean?
Speaker 3:sons we have a great relationship with. We do a lot of their all their like, a lot of the team shop stuff. Uh, we'll do some production for that. You know, when they need that, any specialty needs, like we've done, like the devin booker charity hoodies we do, like we did sophia cunningham stuff. We've done a bunch of a bunch of projects with them and the recent thing is we just dropped the suns collab with them where we did, um, three different pieces of apparel, like a sherpa jacket and it was all guest list so it it was guest list X-Suns and we dropped it. We did a big campaign for it, had Gorilla running around wearing it?
Speaker 1:How does that happen? Just from you going to the Suns games, meeting the right people?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know what I was at the I've been at the games for a long time. Like, I started kind of like row three, me and Futuristic. Futuristic played Spike Lee and Book was like it's the shoot and they were like it's the shoes, the shoes. So we met Book and them then rookie year basically, and it uh turned into just a relationship with them and his whole family and then, like the sons I was, we were in row three. I worked myself down a couple, got a couple court sides and then I worked myself all the way down to having my own court sides and then just relationship being genuinely authentically, not doing anything out of character, and they just seen what I was doing. And social media nowadays, which we didn't have back in the day, is really a fire igniter because you see these people moving.
Speaker 1:So they saw what I was doing and they were like hey, like yeah man, I see what you're doing and I'm just like this guy's unbelievable appreciate you. Yeah, dude, like your social media is fantastic, it's always shot really well, thank you. It looks great when you're at the suns games, I mean that's. I'm trying to think back when I first saw you and I don't know if it was at a suns game where you told me about it, but when I remember coming up to you, talking to you and you know, telling you my son's a big fan that was dope yeah yeah, that's, and I'm a fan.
Speaker 1:Then I then I heard your story, the footlocker story, and I was like this guy's unbelievable, like that is an unbelievable story, it's a fantastic, it's a story that everyone needs to know, especially people nowadays that think like for me on my radio show. They think they can answer phones for a day and they get their own show yeah, that's not how it works exactly that's not how it works you know no we just, we just did this yesterday.
Speaker 3:You just got to show up and today you're him. You know, yeah, like yeah no it's a lot of work, especially I mean, I'm a fan of you too for y'all, all that fan on me we've. I've heard you on the air forever. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:So like go, you know. So let me, let me talk to you specifically about shoes, because I remember one day we went into your store and he was like look what were the shoes that you were like. This is my favorite pair of shoes of all time.
Speaker 2:Oh, you had the Strange Loves. Strange Loves, that's a good one. That's my favorite shoe of all time, all time.
Speaker 3:Do you have it? No, I don't have a pair.
Speaker 1:Incoming. You have don't matter some of the shoes you have.
Speaker 3:The prices are what like, what's the most expensive I mean, yeah, stuff ranges from like 200 bucks to 2 000 to 5 000 what's the most expensive pair of shoes you've ever had in your store?
Speaker 2:we've had like some 10 000, 10 000 pairs I mean, you had the what, the dunks, oh yeah what the dunk was like 20 grand now that you make me remind me of that one 20 grand shoe right it's a beautiful shoe, yeah but it's just like collector's items.
Speaker 3:They're like those, you know, like barrett it's the barrett jackson, yeah, and that's kind of what the idea of our shoe wall is is to have like a barrett jackson you could come look at, like you could come to the mall, take a look, I mean, and there's some beautiful ferraris, there's some hondas, there's some beamers, there's some benzes. So you just come and you enjoy, you know, seeing them and they're all. You know, they're all there for you to see, which is a cool part of the process because, like I get people that walk in. They're like I used to hoop in those in high school or that was, that was my favorite shoe and it's dope to, you know, have a conversation, like you to say the strange love, and then we can go talk about it, you know it's like a culture.
Speaker 1:What shoe gets you excited? If you saw what shoe would get you excited, oh, man, I'm jaded at this you are jaded, I just I've seen them. I've seen them all but there's not one that you'd want or that you want to put in your story every once in a while the hype gets me back and I and I want it.
Speaker 3:You know I'm saying like that nigel ford, that just came out like I wanted it because the hype got. They did such a great marketing plan and the way it rolled out it just made you want it and it felt like old jordans.
Speaker 1:You know what I remember? We were at a Suns game and the Grinch, the furry Grinch, just came out.
Speaker 2:And you were wearing them. You had the CPFM ones on, that's what it?
Speaker 1:was yeah, that might have been the first time we went up to talk to you, because I was like I got to talk to this guy.
Speaker 3:I have had some outlandish outfits Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you do. I mean, the one you're wearing right now is pretty good, I appreciate it Any of that your stuff?
Speaker 3:No, that's Authentics, this is ours, yep. This is Authentics, right here, yep.
Speaker 1:So you said your mom does hair, does she do your hair?
Speaker 3:No, she quit on me 20 years ago. Did she really?
Speaker 1:She said I'm too particular because I like to get my fade every week. You sold like is there a celebrity outside of 50 cent that's coming in here? Because I see sometimes you got athletes in the store like is there anybody like? I remember being at going to high point and bumping into steve nash. I remember bumping into god who was. There was a handful of celebrities that would go to high point quite a bit.
Speaker 3:Oh for sure, yeah, but I mean, uh dang, I feel like I've got shoes for a bunch of different people.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying you're just used to now it. Now they just know They'll text you, direct Somebody from the Cardinals or somebody from out of town. For sure I'm coming to town. What do you?
Speaker 3:got, need something, or even like specifically, like I said, when they're looking for something Like I need a Louis Vuitton Air Force One and then I'll go source it. You know what I'm saying and a lot of business-wise.
Speaker 1:When you said you started out, you were selling like bootleg stuff at the swap meet right?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, where did you get the bootleg stuff? Just from New York, new York.
Speaker 3:I literally, as a youngster, flew to New York, took two luggages and I would pack up two luggages literally with bags and we would come back. I'm from Connecticut so my family lives in New York like the Bronx area. So my uncle, he took me out there, laced me up, so I made a connection with one of the Chinese. It was like a Chinese dude out there selling on canal and I took his information and he would literally shoot me an email back with here's the list of what we have this week and I'd place an order and he'd send it COD back. I went like two times and then he was sending me CODs back. So I would just get my money orders, have them at my mom's house ready to get this package. The packages come in, get a cod, unwrap it be at the parking swap that weekend brought your parents here.
Speaker 1:I'd like to pick their brain see how proud. They must be so proud of you, man.
Speaker 3:I mean, yeah, I think, how often do you see your parents? I see them, you know, every week, for sure. I go check on them are you like living styling?
Speaker 1:I mean, where do you park that rolls?
Speaker 3:oh yeah, we parked that tucked away yeah, what?
Speaker 1:What part of town do you live in? I live in Gilbert, oh yeah. So when you're doing stuff, can you spot bootlegs, because some of them are really good.
Speaker 3:Nowadays stuff's getting really, really good. But you can yeah, I mean mostly on sneakers, like I usually make shoe contact before I make eye contact for the most part. So I'm always checking out the shoes, usually like shoes have got really good but they're still like materials and stuff that you can see. But some stuff is now is really good. I I mean I wouldn't be able to do it on bags and purses or anything like I used to, but like, yeah, on shoes, I can pretty much tell you know, on facebook I don't know if it's because you know how the phones are like you talk about it and all of a sudden shoe ads pop up.
Speaker 1:I see, like like these travis scotts and I'll go to dutch, I go, hey man, check these out. He's like those don't even exist yeah, all these colors.
Speaker 2:How do they do that? How can they just sell?
Speaker 3:shoes, yeah how you know what I mean bootleg everything, that's. That's the game, you know. Uh, I was with uh melvin booker devin's and we were at a tournament and a kid walks by with a color books on and he's like hold on, I don't even got those.
Speaker 2:What are?
Speaker 3:those. I mean, obviously they were fake. We're like oh, those are terrible, but they're like. I mean, this is his first shoe and they already have fakes going around in his colors. Yeah, you know, it's nuts.
Speaker 1:What's that?
Speaker 3:Hooping with fakes is crazy, crazy. You know what's crazy Is. In this circuit like the EY, I've been seeing a lot of kids with like the Kobe's Like a lot of fake Kobe's being worn Can you tell?
Speaker 1:they're fake Kobe's, you can yeah there's like, yeah, you can tell. Because I know when you were hooping in school.
Speaker 3:A lot of this. There's like there's rumors of like same factory. Yeah, all this different stuff, same material, but it's. I mean, it's just really in the craftsmanship they can get really close to most of the ingredients, but then, like, the one thing where the fake shoes become a different ingredient is like they use stuff that you're really not supposed to put in them, so know, like chemicals and different stuff that they wouldn't allow to be passed.
Speaker 2:So that's where the you know it really kind of happened Like the fake Kobe's always, like one of my friends, like his foot went through the shoe. Yeah, craftsmanship, I mean that's just with everything too.
Speaker 3:Like when they're you know they're doing good craftsmen and not that Nike doesn't. You know, sometimes they're going to have a flaw or whatever it's material, but for the most part, like yeah, you know, a louis bag is gonna last, a nike's gonna last, like that's just what it is, because it's great products and they stand behind them I heard the key is to have real stuff and then you can get in sprinkling a couple of fake stuff and then no one's ever gonna know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's, that's what ruined your name like I don't know if that's a fake rolls royce out there I changed the badges and stuff like that, so walk me through a day, a normal day of yours. You get up at what time?
Speaker 3:Normal day I get up usually about like 7.30. I get going. I usually try to go hoop on. I usually hoop like three days a week when do you hoop?
Speaker 3:We hoop at like a couple LA Fitnesses and the Sportas and stuff and a couple gyms like Facility and Inspire Court. So we pop out out, have these runs that we've been going for a long time and, uh, you know, try to get my little workout in right there to start it up. Then usually, you know, come home, get a protein shake and then I'll start out and just go on the journey. I'll start with, you know, some zooms and some calls, then I'll hit the first, I'll hit arizona mills, then I'll hit the print shop, then I will go to the studio, because we have a film studio as well, one take studios, so I'll go over there. Then we might go to scottsdale mall to check on that store. Zoom call, zoom call. Do some buying at home? Run back 150 calls, 8336 test messages and then about 1, 32 o'clock try to get some sleep and then run it back again.
Speaker 1:So you've got to have people. Since you've got AZ Mills, you've got Scottsdale and you've got San Francisco and you've got the print shop and the studio, you've got to have some good management.
Speaker 3:Yeah, have some great people around I've had, like my guy Chris. He's been running the stores for a long time. He runs pretty much my life behind. We have a manager out in SF that does his job. So I mean I got a great team and I've been fortunate to have some people around me Like I think a couple of my guys are almost 10 years with me.
Speaker 1:So you've got to treat them well to stick around.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean we've had the ups and downs together. We've had the good times and the bad times and I mean you're great people and they've they've supported me and pushed me and, you know, made me grow in areas and I can't thank them enough for, you know, my success. But I always just try to re-motivate them back to be great. You know, I knew where I was going since 11. That's exactly what I knew at 11 years old.
Speaker 3:I knew I was going to do something great and I started my marathon and I always knew I was going to get to where. I didn't know it was going to be the Rolls Royce and the Suns and 50 and the whole shebang. But in my heart I just knew it was going to be something and I was going to put my, you know pedal to the metal. I was just gas pedal and I was like I'm not stopping and nobody can deter me and nothing, nothing. It's just me versus me and I go every day and I just go as hard as I can and I leave it all out like game seven so then, what do you do, or what are you going to do now to help yourself get better, like how?
Speaker 1:I mean, do you feel like you've hit a certain place, but I need to get here, are there books to read, are there seminars to go to? Or you think you're just going to do it?
Speaker 3:I mean I just have a passion to do it. But I am like I mean now in my older, as I keep getting older, I'm starting to listen a lot more. I I just pay attention more the people that I see that are doing things the way I like, I dial into them a little bit and I just see what makes them go. And you just asked me what's your day? Look like. You know what I'm saying. I try to pick apart, pick the brains, guy Fieri being one, when I'm with him. I was on a Triple D set and I watched him go. I mean, this man is like a machine. He's literally, you know, he's got everything set up. He's boom, boom, boom, boom. He doesn't stop.
Speaker 1:So you pick his brain a little bit.
Speaker 3:I do. I definitely as much as he'll. Let me you know what I'm saying and really just observing, because I'm one of the ones that can just notice what I'm it. Put it in my own pot of gumbo, mix it up and make you know what I'm saying. Some good soup.
Speaker 1:You're freaking, fascinating dude.
Speaker 3:Appreciate you, bro, yeah but that's really what it is. It's like just picking little pieces from everybody, putting it in your own pot, making your own formula.
Speaker 1:But are you working on another store or another project or a video or a store or something Right now?
Speaker 3:I'm is my three-for-three project right now. We did San Fran was February, we just launched Scottsdale last month and now I just purchased a building to move the print shop. So finally have some ownership after all these years, I purchased a building, so I'm very excited about that. So we purchased like a 6,000-square-foot building that I have to build out from pretty much scratch. I gotta put ac, I gotta put electric plumbing, all this different stuff, and then we have to move all our machinery to it so but is your print shop going to be?
Speaker 1:are you opening up the business for other things or just your stuff? 50 stuff, sun stuff? Just yeah for no for anything, for anybody like if some companies watching this right now, they go, man we want to use it for shirts. Yeah, geo print and do you have a deal with good shirt companies? Do you use like next level or everything?
Speaker 3:everything we use, next level bella, canvas, la apparel, t style. You know we we have any, any garment you want, and the thing is I've been working on it in the 13th hour of the day or the 80th hour of the day. I'm I do a lot of manufacturing overseas. So in portugal, china, you know I do a lot of manufacturing overseas. So in Portugal, china, you know I do a lot. I can make you a garment from scratch. I can make you a pants, shirt, shoe, hat, lanyard, keychain, belt, wallet, I mean whatever you want really can make it from scratch. What time do you go to bed? That's usually because overseas is usually about, you know, 9 to about 1 o'clock in the morning. I'm usually working, you know, sending WhatsAppapps going back and forth doing different cuts.
Speaker 1:You know materials dying like there's, there's, that's such, it's such a process. Dude, your hustle is real, real mad respect. Man, appreciate it, mad respect, I mean that's. Um, I knew a little bit about your story but I'm just completely blown away by your whole package, man.
Speaker 2:Man, I just you know continued success to you.
Speaker 1:Ryan. That's unbelievable man. Unbelievable is your. You're married, I am married. Does your wife?
Speaker 3:work she does. What kind of work, man I just you know.
Speaker 1:continued success to you, Ryan. That's unbelievable man Unbelievable. You're married, I am married. Does your wife work? She does. What kind of work does she do, she?
Speaker 3:is a travel nurse oh, no way, yeah. So she's the one that takes care of everybody. She's the you know, she's the heartbeat to what we got. That's unbelievable man. She does a hard job. I mean mine's creative, but I mean I feel for all them nurses and then they go and see some traumatic stuff and they have to like, do real life and and come back home and turn it off. So I salute them. They, they do really work hard, you know um in town.
Speaker 1:Here just real quick, I'm just like what are your favorite restaurants in town?
Speaker 3:oh, you know um rah-rah room, since I'm a nice member over there you gotta shout them out etta et Etta in North Scottsdale. Eddie, Eddie North Zagari. He's got to be one of the best foodies in Arizona, so that's great. My top Thai Rama, 15th Avenue, Camelback Thai Rama. Best Thai food in Arizona. I stand by it.
Speaker 1:Oh man, maybe we'll hit that on the way home.
Speaker 3:Hey, tell them I sent you. Oh man, maybe we'll hit that on the way home.
Speaker 1:Hey, tell them I sent you Dude you're unbelievable.
Speaker 3:They're amazing.
Speaker 1:Look, I've been messing with you for a while trying to get you on this podcast and I'm grateful you made the time.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. I appreciate your love I really do.
Speaker 1:So let's just go over your locations real quick. So when you're watching you go to it's Guestless in Scottsdale floor upstairs by Dior. Okay.
Speaker 3:Then we have Arizona Mills, which is located between entry three and four at Arizona Mills mall. Then we also have guest list print, which is located by Tempe marketplace. Then we also have one take studios, which is our studio 25 different film sets. You can shoot small film, video content, whatever you want.
Speaker 1:We should have gone there to do this podcast.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we can do it, so we do have a podcast room as well too. So that's good there. And I have a partner, jacob Owens, that's great at photography and videography. He's one of the goats in the game, so me and him partnered on that, and that's right by Arizona Mills as well too.
Speaker 1:I could see like in the future like you going on tour doing motivational speaking.
Speaker 3:I'm ready.
Speaker 1:Dude, I mean, it's an amazing story and the success you had is fantastic.
Speaker 3:I think that's one of the things too. I do love giving back the game and like teaching and, like you know, again, I'm relatable, even like me, and you like you can look at me, I'm relatable. You can say like, damn, he did it, so I can do it. So I love passing the game. The only thing I just got to tell you is just hard work. You got to be ready to sleep that's the problem, that's it, you got to be,
Speaker 1:willing to put the work in right, because a lot of people don't work yeah and again.
Speaker 3:Like you just pick up a mic in your hymn, you just pick up a t-shirt in your me. You know what I'm saying like that's not it that's not it.
Speaker 1:It's not gonna work. That's it. I can't even pick up a mic. It'd be me, what huh? All right, anything you want come on what?
Speaker 2:Huh? All right, what are you?
Speaker 1:talking about? Come on, Nothing. I just want to say good job, Dutch. I know it was the first time you've been on camera with me. Anything you want to ask Because we're going to wrap it up- man, I don't even know. Right now. What is the most expensive shoe available right now? We?
Speaker 3:have like a Louis Vuitton Air Force 1. That's like about $5,000. We have like an Off-White Jordan 1. That's like $7,000. We have a couple player-exclusive like from schools, like we have these UCLA PE Jordan 4s. They're like $5,500. We have a Michigan Jordan 6. That one's worth like about three grand. So they vary. There's some what's your favorite, my favorite shoe yeah.
Speaker 1:Ever is. Lebron 1 Zoom Generation is like one of my favorite shoes, but you'll wear those daily. Yeah, I will.
Speaker 3:You'll wear it, yeah, I probably have like 12 pairs of that.
Speaker 1:Don't tell anybody. Are they comfortable? I can't wear any shoe like I do in Air Force One. I just started with these.
Speaker 3:I kind of bounce around. I mean I love Travis's. Travis's are definitely one of the things that rolled me into the hype because Jordan 1 Lows were never popular back in the day they would clearance down. I mean you could get a Jordan 1 Low back in my day when I was working at Foot Locker. They'd be like $39.99 on the wall, 99 on the wall and then now, these are 29, 99 like 2999 to buy a low top jordan one, which is just mind-blowing.
Speaker 3:You ever met jordan? I've been in the room close, but I've never got to meet him like shake his hand. I met bron kobe, you know so, but never might have you ever had a paris dunk. Never have I touched the pair I I've held, but I've never had one in my collection.
Speaker 2:We saw one in Hawaii.
Speaker 3:Oh, in Truist. Yeah, truist, hawaii, we were there. Do you remember that? It's a great store? Yeah, great store.
Speaker 1:Is that the one that was in Honolulu?
Speaker 3:kind of in town a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's on like King Street yeah they're like a. They're crazy stuff.
Speaker 3:They're for the culture store. They're definitely dope. They've been there for a lot of years. They actually just had Travis, or they had Travis in there a couple years ago they did yeah. He pulled up, signed a shoe for him, everything.
Speaker 1:And good relationships. It's so smart when celebrities do that. Yeah, yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:It's dope to see celebrities outside their element. You get them as real humans because, like you know, you only know them from doing the court or doing the field. So like, when you get them out there, they're normal people. You know what I'm saying? Right, but when?
Speaker 1:they go above and beyond and do something. I mean, this is a different example, but like I remember one time Miley Cyrus was in town and my partner, rich and I were broadcasting outside of the arena. She had sold out over at State Farm Stadium or at glendale and she came out and hung out while we're outside and within three minutes there were 10 000 people around us and it was absolute chaos. But people don't do that anymore, right? You know what I mean people. So people don't do like like a travis scott doing that like 50 cent yeah people.
Speaker 1:They're like outliers, they're like different. You know, that's, that's very cool man, that's another, another dope one that I had.
Speaker 3:I had chris paul in in the with his son and we're real cool and it was just great to have him out. He enjoyed the experience so much, he's like because you know he's been an, A athlete for 20 years. He's like I ain't even really been able to just come to the mall in a long like because we just, you know, had him come in. He came to Mills, he walked in, had a blast, you know I'm saying shopped and left and was like bro, this was dope, like I haven't done this in a year.
Speaker 1:People can catch. They probably go. There's no way.
Speaker 3:Chris paul's here I mean, there was definitely people around and definitely people like you know what I'm saying but it was like I mean, he and he's he's one of the best humans ever, like really a good human. So yeah, but it was dope, you know, like seeing them just enjoy an experience that's normal to us. I go to the mall every day. I've been in the mall since I was 16.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm saying and this dude's like he's almost breaking down. He was almost in tears Like I finally got to be normal. You know what I'm saying? It's great.
Speaker 1:You know Luis Gonzalez from the Diamondbacks. Yeah, we were in Tucson and him and I were walking through the mall and they just won the World Series and within 30 seconds couldn't get that dude out of the mall fast enough.
Speaker 3:It was crazy, he's a GOAT too, One of the best to ever do it in the D-backs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, he's great, he's great, we'll get him into your shop.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let's do it. How about I'll flip it to you real quick? What's your favorite celebrity moment you've had like through all these years of just being meeting everybody?
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I met Michael Jordan, Okay that's a great one, that was pretty sick. I was an intern.
Speaker 1:I was on my way up and I was working at a sports station and I remember he was coming. I was in San Diego at a sports station, okay, and there was a guy that played for the Bulls who was from San Diego I can't remember like Cliff Robinson or Cliff, I can't remember his name played for the Bulls and they put together an all-star game in San Diego and I was an intern and I helped set up the press conference. So I was in this room oops, I was in this room with a long table and a lot of microphones, you know, like a press conference. I had set it all up and I'll never forget. I'm walking out of the room and I'm pretending like I'm all alone and I'm like that's enough, fellas, no more pictures, no more, thank you. And I turn and boom, I hit him chest to chest and he puts his hand on my chest. He goes do you want to do this interview? I'm sick of this shit. And I was like what the hell? And what the hell? And I go, yeah, I go, can I get a picture? And he goes I don't, probably.
Speaker 1:And it was like and the guy that took the picture? And I tell him I go, I'm an intern for sports station, whatever, and and I'll be at the game tonight, and the general manager of the radio station was this woman named Judy and she said to conference, she goes. Here are my tickets. They're on the floor, center court. She goes. You can have them for the first half she goes, but then I need them back the second half. And I had my dad with me and I was like absolutely, thank you so much Because I didn't get paid right, so I'm sitting down center court. The lights go out, they start the all-star game you know that song that the Bulls were using and they bring out, they start introducing the players and also this Michael Jordan place goes freaking nuts. He sees me and he walks over and high-fives me in front of my dad.
Speaker 1:And then walks and that was like one of the greatest moments, a father and son moment for me that I could have. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Like it was great, that's pure pride and I got the picture a father and son moment for me that I could have you know what I mean Like it was great.
Speaker 1:That's pure pride, and I got the picture. Every once in a while I post it because I stumble on it.
Speaker 3:I'm like oh my God, that's definitely got to come up right here on this, On the podcast. Here's the picture man, me and Michael.
Speaker 1:Jordan. I'm 19, 18 years old. That's super cool man, so that's amazing that he's, that's he's amazing, mine was great, same with I met Magic Johnson, I mean, you know. But I mean as far as celebrities, you know, they've all been really cool. Kanye, I mean I know Kanye called my show three times.
Speaker 3:He was fantastic yeah he was one of the best interviews ever and one of the one of the most culture shifters ever seen in the culture, streetwear, fashion industry, sneakers he's a genius you know a lot of guys these are his brand, no the the pants yeah, no, these are his, oh, those are his pants see, genius.
Speaker 1:Anyway that, thanks for asking me a question. That's cool. Um, anyway, all right, let's wrap it up.
Speaker 3:Man, thanks, man, thanks hey thank you guys, so much for having me all right. Congrats to that first interview many more let's go, man, let man, let's go.
Speaker 2:Let's go, all right good stuff Appreciate y'all.
Speaker 1:Thanks, man. All right, that's my podcast. Okay, so welcome to our podcast. This is a little bit different today, because this podcast is a spinoff of our radio show.
