On a shelf above sophomore Luke Pengelly’s bed sits a shrine to his most beloved possessions: Yeezy 350 Boosts, Air Max 90s, Ultraboosts, Air Jordan OVOs and Roshe Run IDs. These are not action figures, beanie babies or rare earth minerals; they are exclusive sneakers, some worth upwards of $1,000.

Pengelly is part of a growing movement of sneakerheads –– people who collect and admire shoes as a hobby. Senior Devonte Offutt, another self-proclaimed sneakerhead, said people like him and Pengelly see a unique world of possibilities in each shoe.

“I style differently than others,” Offutt said. “I see ashoe and think: I can wear this with that and that. Other people are wearing them just to be wearing them.”

Pengelly and Offutt collect shoes they think stand alone as aesthetically pleasing items.

“It’s any shoe that catches my eye,” Pengelly said.

This also means Pengelly and Offutt do not exclusively collect shoes from a single brand. While some sneakerheads only collect retro Jordans, Pengelly and Offutt cast their collecting net wide.

“I wear all ty

pes of shoes if I like them,” Offutt said.

Each sneaker in Pengelly’s collection varies drastically in appearance. His shoes range from slim “runners” like the Yeezy 350 Boosts, designed by Kanye West, and the Adidas Ultra Boosts to high-top basketball shoes like the Air Jordan 10 Black Air Jordan OVOs, designed by Drake.

Offutt has filled his closet with over 75 pairs of sneakers, the names of which he can recite rapid-fire like a baseball enthusiast reciting team rosters. In his sea of sneakers, he struggles to find a favorite.

“I have too many shoes to have a favorite,” Offutt said.

Pengelly began collecting sneakers in sixth grade when a pair of basketball shoes on a classmate caught his and sophomore Cole Cumbest’s eyes.

“It started with one pair in sixth grade,” Pengelly said. “It was [an] orange Air Max 2011.”

Offutt’s fascination with sneakers started even earlier. He can’t remember ever sharing the same interests as other children.

“Since I was a youngin’ I fell in love with shoes,” Offutt said. “What I liked to do was just collect shoes. I wasn’t into action figures or video games.”

Today, Cumbest and Pengelly spend almost every free moment fixated on sneakers. They attend sneaker conventions, search for deals at sneaker boutiques and watch videos about sneakers on YouTube.

“It’s 24/7,” Cumbest said.

Cumbest’s and Pengelly’s tastes in sneakers have changed together through the years. Now, their collections nearly mirror each other; where Luke has the Black Air Jordan OVOs, Cole has the white Air Jordan OVOs.

“We evolved together with the sneakers we like,” Pengelly said.

As Cumbest and Pengelly are proud to note, they purchased every pair of shoes in their current collections with their own money. Cumbest works at Moe’s and Pengelly works as a lifeguard.

“We spend our own money,” Pengelly said. “We work jobs.”

The fact they used their own money to purchase their shoes motivates them both to keep their sneakers in pristine condition.

“We spend all this money on this shoe; that’s why we take good care of them,” Cumbest said. “Our parents just don’t buy them all.”

Pengelly’s and Cumbest’s jobs do not merely fund an addiction. Often times, Pengelly and Cumbest are able to turn their initial invest- ment in a sneaker into a large profit. By flipping exclusive models like Yeezys, Pengelly has made over $1,000. At sneaker conventions Pengelly and Cumbest attend, people auction off and trade sneakers traders who sell stocks.

This also means Pengelly is willing to sell any shoe in his collection. At a certain price, he is confident he will be able to buy the same model back for less and pocket the difference.

“For me, if you give me a certain price, I can’t turn it down,” Pengelly said.

The growing sneakerhead culture across the country not only enables resellers like Pengelly but also shoe customizers like Offutt. Offutt taught himself to customize shoes with paint and started taking orders. Offutt said customizing shoes was “just my talent, just what I do.”

While Pengelly resells shoes and Offut paints shoes without qualm, they are still intensely protective of their shoes. Wearing shoes with- out leaving visible traces of doing so is just another part of being a sneakerhead.

Last semester, Pengelly went home early after another student stepped on his Moonrock Yeezy 350 Boosts and left a mark. Pengelly feared if the mark went untreated, it would leave a stain on the shoes he so devotedly protects.

“I was livid,” Pengelly said. “I left school early.”

To maintain his peace of mind, Pengelly owns $150 worth of sneaker cleaning products. Pengelly puts a thin sheet of plastic on the sole of his rarer sneakers. He learned this technique, along with how to lace shoes in different styles, on YouTube.

Pengelly’s fascination with shoes has branched into an interest in fashion. When he get’s dressed, he still focuses on his shoes.

“I go from the shoe up in the morning,” Pengelly said.

Offutt echoed Pengelly.

“I pick out my shoes first and then I throw the outfit on,” Offutt said.

Offutt’s and Pengelly’s morning ritual ‘from the shoe up’ reflects the mindset of sneakerheads — sneakers are, and will always remain, king.