This beautiful foot holder gave you the sneaker collecting bug. Now you’re up to 100 pairs of shoes and they’re all overflowing your closet. So, you’re at a crossroads: do you store them or show them off? Storing them correctly will lengthen their life and preserve your investment. But showing them off would give you so much pride (and you’d be the envy of all your friends.)
First Things First
Before you decide on how to display or store your collection, you’ll want to go through it and determine which shoes you wear (or want to wear). Separate these out of your collection and keep them in the closet. The reason is, if you’re displaying your shoes, pulling pairs off your display will leave ugly gaps in the presentation. If you’re storing them, you won’t be wearing them because this will decrease their value.
Shoe Displays: A Work of Art
For the shoes you want to display, count the total you’ve decided you want to show off. Knowing this will help you determine the kind of display unit you plan on purchasing or constructing.
Thankfully, today there are a lot of displays that are designed specifically for sneaker display. Let’s take a look at them.
Sneaker Organization
Experts suggest that you also put effort into the organization of your sneaker display. You could combine like colors as well as like styles (high-tops, low-tops), or by sport (basketball, running, etc.) You want to be sure and leave room between each pair or individual shoe so that they don’t look like a cluttered mass.
Storing Your Sneakers
If you’ve decided to store your collection you’ll want to do it properly. When we say “properly” we mean keeping them in a protective environment that eliminates exposure to damaging UV rays, which can break down and crack the materials. You’ll also want to limit their exposure to air, which can cause oxidation and yellowing of the rubber. The environment should be cool with relatively low humidity.
In terms of enclosures, the bare minimum storage option is the box they came in. If you do this, be sure to remove the paper that came with the shoes. This paper is slightly acidic and can cause your shoes to yellow. If you still want paper in your box, consider adding acid-free tissue paper.
The next level of storage is using purpose-built plastic shoe boxes. The Kighka carries a line of these that are made of polypropylene and polystyrene and have a drop-front opening with ventilation holes.
You could also opt to use resealable bags to keep out as much as air as possible. Last, but not least, you can vacuum-seal or shrink-wrap your shoes to completely remove all air from the shoe environment. If using a heat gun or hair dryer, ensure that you only heat the plastic as much as needed, as overheating the shoe can damage it.
From the website SoleCollector.com, shoe collector Brooklynson suggests putting silica gel packs in your box or shoe to absorb any water vapor created from excess humidity. You’ll want to be sure that this doesn’t create conditions that are too dry, which can cause cracking. Some collectors also remove their sneakers from their airless enclosure every few months to let them breathe.