CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - At the bustling corner of 52nd and Harper in Hyde Park, there’s a hip, new store designed for sneakerheads.
"I've always loved Hyde Park, this is a great area," said James Denman, owner of Sneakerville 88, which opened its second location this spring.
Before he got into the shoe business, James Denman was in the food industry.
"My first business I ever started was Jamee's Italian Beef & Pizza, at 79th and Indiana," he recalled.
Named after his daughter Jamee, he moved on to the chicken business. He owns two Harold's Chickens, one became the number one franchise in the country.
"I'm not a food guy," he laughed. "Everyone asks me all the time: Am I a food guy?’ I was just looking for a good opportunity. I'm just a guy who likes excitement and money," he smiled.
From chicken to shoes, he has now passed the torch to his daughter Jamee. She runs the Hyde Park Sneakerville 88 location.
"She's been around me all of her life, she's seen the businesses I've been in. I thought it would be a great opportunity for her." said Denman.
Jamee, 26, said she's always been involved in her dad's businesses and it helps that she was a star basketball player at Bogan High School.
"I was always a cash register person. I worked in all my dad's stuff. I was surprised he was into sneakers. He's interested in sneakers? It's the generation for me more than his generation, so I was surprised," she smiled.
Their newest business offers rare and limited-edition sneakers and apparel, which Jamee said is hot right now.
"It's a big thing. People love shoes, and we're the only ones over here, so we're the new big thing on the block," said Jamee. "The Lost and Found Air Jordan 1 is the hottest, Adidas, Yeezy's. [In] your typical store, you can't find Yeezy's, but you can find them here. We have all shoe sizes."
Each store stocks hundreds of shoes, and the father-daughter business has flourished so far.
"We serve a high-end line of fashion, so you have to know about the business. You have to answer the questions people want answered," said Jamee.
"Everyone needs shoes, right? Absolutely," laughed James Denman.
From fried chicken to footwear, Denman said it's been a whirlwind, but it's also been a lot of hard work and perseverance. Luckily, he and his daughter share a love of sneakers, a trend that he said is all the rage right now.
"Girls are wearing them with their prom dresses, women are wearing them to their weddings. No more high heels," he laughed.
Denman hopes to eventually franchise Sneakerville 88 which has become a family business in more ways than one.
"There's no better partnership than a dad-daughter combo, it's neat." Jamee smiled.
For more information about Sneakerville 88's two Chicago locations, log onto sneakerville88chicago.com.
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