SNEAKERS. SNEAKERS ARE SUCH A FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION. BUYERS, SELLERS, COLLECTORS, A $6 BILLION INDUSTRY. THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF THE SHOE STORIES HERE. ANYONE THAT YOU SPEAK TO IS YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE SOME SORT OF CONNECTION WITH THEM. AND THAT’S THE BIGGEST THING WITH SNEAKER. BUT SORT THROUGH THE MORE THAN 5000 PEOPLE WHO WILL ATTEND A GOT SOUL EVENT AND YOU WILL FIND THE FOUNDERS, WEYMOUTH BROTHERS, JONATHAN AND JOSEPH DE MONICA. I’M A BIG CELTICS FAN. IF I SEE SOMEONE WEARING A CELTICS JERSEY WITHOUT EVEN HAVING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME SORT OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, MENTAL CLICK THERE. SAME THING WITH SNEAKERS, RIGHT? IF I SEE SOMEONE WEARING AN EXCLUSIVE PAIR OF SNEAKERS, IT’S ALMOST LIKE WE’RE IN THAT SAME UNSPOKEN COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE BUILT A COMMUNITY BASED ON THE LOVE OF THE SNEAKER. HOW IS THIS FIGHTING BACK? WELL, WE NEED TO WALK THIS STORY BACK ABOUT TEN YEARS WHEN JONATHAN AND JOSEPH WERE JUST 12 AND 14 YEARS OLD, OUR HOUSE BURNT DOWN. WE LOST EVERYTHING. YOU KNOW, WE WALKED OUT OF THE HOUSE AND NEVER WALKED BACK IN. WE WERE JUST KIDS. IT WAS PRETTY HUMBLING IN THE SENSE BECAUSE WE LITERALLY HAD THE CLOTHES ON OUR BACK. SO IT WAS KIND OF STARTING FROM NOTHING. WE HAVE NO MONEY TO BUY SHOES. OUR PARENTS JUST LOST THEIR HOUSE. WE DON’T EVEN HAVE THE AUDACITY TO TRY TO ASK THEM FOR MONEY. SO WHAT DO WE DO? HE STARTED SELLING CANDY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, JUST TRYING TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK. SO WE’RE JUST TRYING TO KIND OF REBUILD OURSELVES IN THAT REBUILDING. THEY SAW A NEED WE GOT INTO SNEAKERS. SO BUYING, SELLING, TRADING, CLEANING UP, RESTORING SHOES AND THAT’S WHERE WE REALLY FOUND OUR IDENTITY. THE EMERGING ENTREPRENEURS DECIDED TO EXPAND AND THEIR ENTERPRISE. I THEN STARTED A COMPANY CALLED WE GOT SOUL. PEOPLE PAID JONATHAN A SMALL FEE TO STAND IN LINE TO GET THE LATEST SNEAKER. YOU PAY ONE OF MY FRIENDS 20 BUCKS TO STAND IN LINE WITH ME AND THE CUSTOMER GOT THEIR SHOE WITHOUT HAVING TO GET OUT OF BED. AND 2013, THE LOCAL, YOU KNOW, MALL SECURITY COMES OUT AND THEY SAY, HEY, WE’RE NO LONGER GOING TO DO THESE LINES FOR THE SHOES ANYMORE. THEY’RE GOING TO BE A RAFFLE BASIS. RIGHT? THAT RUINED 14 YEAR OLD EIGHTH GRADE JONATHAN’S BUSINESS IN ONE MALL SECURITY DECISION. TURNS OUT IT WAS A FATEFUL DECISION THAT SENT THE BROTHERS IN A NEW DIRECTION. WE WENT TO A SMALL SNEAKER EVENT IN BOSTON AND I GUESS OPPORTUNISTIC AND A LITTLE TOO CRAZY. JONATHAN LOOKED AT JOEY AND I SAID, WHY CAN’T WE DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS? WE HAD EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE HAD EVER MADE, EVERY LAWN MOWING, SNEAKER CLEANING AND HANDI SELLING DOLLAR THAT WE HAD EVER MADE WAS INVESTED INTO THIS DREAM OF BOSTON GOT SOUL. SO JONATHAN, TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE EVENT TURNED HIM, HE WAS LIKE, HEY, WE SHOULD PROBABLY CANCEL THIS EVENT. YOU KNOW, WE HAD ZERO TICKETS SOLD. YEAH, WE HADN’T SOLD A VERY RATIONAL DECISION HE MADE TO ASK ME THAT, AND I KIND OF LOOKED AT HIM AND I SAID, WHY DON’T WE JUST DO IT? WE OPENED UP A FORGET IT. THE OLD WOULD CROOK AND DOORS OF THIS OLD CHURCH HOPING THAT THERE’D BE SOME PEOPLE THERE AND ENDED UP BEING A COUPLE HUNDRED PEOPLE WRAPPED AROUND THE CORNER. THAT WAS IN 2013. NOW PEOPLE COME FROM AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING SOME BIG NAMES LIKE DENNIS RODMAN TO ATTEND ONE OF THEIR EVENTS. NOW HOSTED IN SEVERAL CITIES, THE RED OCTOBER YEEZY TOURS. I MEAN, THAT SOUNDS AMAZING. AND ALSO THE PRICE TAG ON THESE BRAND NEW BRAND NEW. NOW IF YOU GO ONLINE, YOU CAN SEE PAIRS AT AROUND $20,000, WHICH IS CRAZY. WOW. THE BROTHERS REBUILT FROM THAT FIRE. YOU MIGHT CONSIDER THEIR SNEAKER COLLECTION AMONG THE COOLEST AROUND, BUT THEY ARE QUICK TO POINT OUT YOU’RE NOT JUST BUYING A SNEAKER ALL ABOUT THAT STORY. THIS IS ONE OF JOEY’S FAVORITE SHOES. HE’S WANTED IT FOR YEARS. I HAD TO CONTACT MAYBE 50 DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO FIND THE VERY EXCLUSIVE SHOE, TO FIND THE RIGHT SHOE AND THE RIGHT SIZE AT THE RIGHT PRICE. AND THE LOOK ON HIS FACE JUST LIT UP AND THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. WE SEE THAT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME AT OUR EVENTS WHEN PEOPLE FIND THAT SHOE. FINALLY, THE BROTHERS SAY THEIR MISSION NOW IS TO INSPIRE OTHER KIDS, LET THEM KNOW THEY’RE CAPABLE OF ANYTHING, NO MATTER THE AGE WE SEE THE 13 AND 15, THE 14 AND 16 YEAR OLD KIDS COMING TO OUR EVENTS AND THAT GIVES US ALL A SPARK IN THE WORLD. THAT’S AWESOME. AND GOT SOUL HOST AN EVENT EVERY SPRING AND WORCESTER AND THEY ARE STEPPING YOU GET THAT I SEE WHAT YOU GOT. YEAH INTO A NEW CITY THEIR FIRST EVENT IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA AND 2023 MARKS THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR BUSINESS AND THEY SAY STAY TUNED. THEY’VE GOT BIG PLANS TO MARK THE MILESTONE. WE’LL SEE WHAT THAT IS. BUT STAY TUNED, AS THE