Meeting up with a cool Nike Dunk collector

Sometimes the most interesting people are in your own backyard - or in this case, working on a Web site in Dallas.

While at a training seminar, I ran into this guy who had the coolest sneakers, so I had to ask him about them. It turns out, he doesn't just have one pair of cool sneakers but over 900!!

Yes, that's right. That equals 1,800 shoes.

I must admit when he told me this, I went into instant shoe envy. His collection makes my 24 pairs look pitiful in comparison.

But these aren't just any shoes, these are Nike Dunks.

"Some of them are rare and hard to find, so now I'm invested," said Doug, Nike Dunk collector.

Doug says he started collecting the sneakers in 1999 and they just started to grow. In fact, the collection is so massive, he's had them insured for $100,000, but says they are probably worth at least three times more.

I have never meet an avid collector like this before. Yeah, I've met stamp collectors and some people that think their collection of Barbies is pretty big, but they have nothing compared to this. I mean, where do you store 900 pairs of sneakers?

"I have them stacked up in the office, and stacked up in other places in house," said Doug. "But my collection is nothing compared to other people's collections."

DOUG SHOWS OFF HIS NIKE DUNKS ON YOUTUBE

After meeting Doug and researching Nike Dunks, I discovered Doug showing off his shoes on Good Morning Texas. This video is a couple of years old, back in the days when he only had 400 to 500 pairs of shoes.



Like a true collector, Doug is always looking for pairs he doesn't have. He's on the Internet, visits skateboard shops around the country and has even camped out in London for a rare pair of laser Dunks.

But he has a method to his purchases. He says, at first he used to just buy one pair of the sneakers, but now he buys three.

"One pair to wear, one pair to save and one pair just in case something happens to the other two pairs," said Doug.

Doug has Dunks ranging from the "Tiffany's" (which have a little diamond on them), the "Huf Dunks" (which are made with the San Francisco Giants colors) and the Melvins.

After meeting Doug, I was intrigued - not to buy a pair of Nike Dunks, but to see if there were other Nike Dunk sneaker addicts out there.

I was surprised to find that there were. There's actually a whole little community of Nike Dunk sneaker wearing people around that I had no idea existed. (The photo on the left is proof that other collectors love these shoes as much as Doug. They guy filled up his entire sofa!)

But if you're a collector, don't bother calling Doug. He loves his shoes and doesn't want to part with any of them.