As 21-year old entrepreneur Derrick Starks cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening of his sneaker store, Sole World, this past weekend with his mother, father, and two sisters beside him, three things were clear: young black men are the most influential leaders in modern society, faith is embedded in Stark’s business plan, and his family is the epitome of security, support, and foundation.
Stark joins a shortlist of black-owned sneaker stores and boutiques in the United States, the most impressive fact about his rise to ownership is that the former athlete started with $50 and a dream. Reselling for Derrick became a passion and flourished into a profitable business. “I’m grateful. I’m grateful to God. I’m proud to see his vision come true, and I honor and respect him as a business man,” stated Starks’s mother.Two years laters, consumers are sleeping in their vehicle overnight to be first in line at Sole World. As the line wraps around the corner and out the door, Derrick and his family embraced visibility and ownership, while acknowledging this accomplishment is nothing short of amazing.
Building an empire doesn’t establish itself effortlessly in the African American community. With over one hundred years of social, political ,and economic inequality, Starks has effectively leveraged his blackness, hard work and his mothers and fathers prayers to institute generational wealth. I asked the entrepreneur if he followed a blueprint to arrive at this point in his life, and he simply told me that he walks by faith. His father credentials him as the “quiet storm.”
Sole World is a vibrant and inclusive space where sneaker and basketball heads intersect. The cultural hub is currently the new and dopest place to purchase, sell, and trade sneakers.
Derricks’s supporters and consumers are passionate about his place in sneaker culture. Some reference him as the “shoe man,” others are eager to learn from him, which is why Starks is using his social media platform to produce content that educates sneaker heads on buying and reselling sneakers. With over 1 million followers on Tik Tok, Starks continues to influence generation Z and millennials.
Sole World is hope, hip-hop, black ambition, excellence, and joy. Sole World is located at the Del Almo Fashion Center in Torrance, CA.
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