Business is good at 9/10 Condition Sneaker Boutique as the store has outgrown its retail space for the second time in the last two years. 9/10 is relocating from an 1,800 sq. ft. space at 775 Washington Blvd. in Pigtown to a 2,800 sq. ft. space at 1123 Light St. in Federal Hill. The Pigtown location closed last Sunday and the Federal Hill location will open tomorrow.
9/10 specializes in sneakers and offers apparel, jerseys, vintage clothes, and streetwear brands. The majority of the inventory at the store is previously-owned items that are in very good condition. Customers can buy, sell, and trade at 9/10. Owner Roberto Fontanez said that much of his inventory comes from his clients and noted that many of the sneakers were worn just a few times.
Fontanez, a Pigtown resident, launched 9/10 in 2016. He spent many years working at Finish Line before opening his first location in Towson. The Pigtown location opened in January 2017.
Fontanez began buying up shoes for his inventory in the months leading up to his first store. He noted that most of his inventory cannot be found at other shoe stores.
Popular shoes at 9/10 include vintage Nikes, Nike Air Jordans, Adidas’ Ultra Boost, NMD, and Yeezy. 9/10 now has more than 1,000 shoes in its store, and struggled to find room for them all at the Pigtown location.
Fontanez told SouthBMore.com that while he has a strong following locally, customers have stopped by his store from out of the state and from other countries. He credits much of this far-reaching exposure to his social media following. 9/10 has more than 16,700 followers on Instagram and followers will often try to reserve pairs of sneakers in the comments section. 9/10 has also been visited by professional athletes.
While Fontanez loved his location in Pigtown, he is excited about his new home in Federal Hill which will be surrounded by many other businesses. “I’m excited to tell our customers to spend the day here and go to nearby restaurants,” said Fontanez.
Pigtown Main Street Interim Executive Director Kim Lane called Fontanez a “wonderful” business owner and said that Federal Hill is lucky to get his business. She was sad to see his store leave Pigtown, but excited for the growth of Fontanez’s business.
Fontanez said the space at 1123 Light St. will provide a larger showroom and more storage for his inventory. He said it was turnkey-ready and did not require any other renovations besides setting up his store. The storefront’s last tenant was Aww Baby Organics, which relocated to Savage. The space was also home to multiple shoe stores over the years.
9/10’s former Pigtown location is now available for lease.
9/10 will be open Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 8pm and Sunday from 12pm to 6pm. Fontanez has one employee.
Photos courtesy of the 9/10 Condition Sneaker Boutique Facebook page
via https://www.southbmore.com/2018/11/02/9-10-condition-sneaker-boutique-relocating-from-pigtown-to-federal-hill/
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