Back in the day mid 90's til about 2006 it was all good. Then the struggle got real and everybody became a sneakerhead!
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THIS. I never had problems getting Js in Iowa from the mid 80s on. I could get them in-store well after the RD.
That was back when you could get Air Jordans in JC Penney, Nordstrom, etc etc.
Then I went to college in 96 -- It was still easy for a couple years.
Then around 1999 the spots weren't as reliable, so I shifted to online mostly.
A few years ago I started to see more retros in the IOWA retailers I used.
One of my spots had the CG-XI for over a month after it launched.
By that time, buying retros was easy again.
Then the Concord release happened. The IOWA spot I bought from didn't have a line.
But after that release slowly but surely lines were seen growing everywhere.
I still have my places that take care of me, but I do a ton of online as well just so I don't have to deal with the BS.
Right now it's just bogus. I see lines for every single Retro+ release.
I don't buy as much as I used to, simply b/c I'm old now and really only look for specific drops.
But damn, the climate is ridiculous now.