01-03-2025
Sneaker store returns to its roots, reopens Elk Grove location. What to expect at Phenom
Sneakerheads in the Sacramento region can rejoice — a popular local shoe store is expanding, reopening its previous location.
Minnesota-based sneaker shop Phenom announced on social media that it would reopen its original location just outside in Elk Grove on Saturday.
'We are excited to announce the reopening of our Elk Grove location!' the store posted to its Instagram account.
Here's what you need to know:
The first Phenom shoe store opened in 2010 in Falcon Heights near Minneapolis, store owner Kinny Thammavong said.
The footwear store offers the latest styles in shoes, providing new releases from high-demand brands including Nike, Jordan, Adidas, Vans, Converse, Crocs, and Birkenstocks.
Additionally, Phenom sells clothing and streetwear fashion brands such as Nudie Jeans, Purple Brand, Fear of God Essentials, Daniel Luu, and Billionaire Boys Club, according to its website.
Phenom is reopening its original location at 9015 Bruceville Road on Saturday.
'It's been great. Honestly, the reception kind of surprised me,' Thammavong said about the reopening.
When the Elk Grove location first opened in 2012, Thammavong told The Bee that people would tell him they wished the store was closer, as customers traveled to Elk Grove from other capital region cities and as far away as Fairfield.
But Phenom closed its Elk Grove store in the summer of 2023, relocating to a more central location in downtown Sacramento.
'Nowadays we get a lot of customers coming in saying that they missed the fact that we were even in Elk Grove,' Thammavong said. 'A lot of our customer base was built out there. So it's completely understandable.'
Thammavong said he was happy to reopen a spot that resonated with the Sacramento sneakerhead community, as are people who have supported the store over the years.
One Instagram user, chaseismostdope, said under Phenom's reopening post on Instagram, 'my childhood is back.'
'The reasoning behind that is because we started out there and spent nine years there,' Thammavong said. 'It was hard to leave, because of the customer base and clientele we had built over the years.'
Thammavong said the Elk Grove location was more than a store but also a place where people would 'stop by and hang out.'
'To be back home at the same spot, redesigned, refreshed is kind of something we thought was important — just for the culture of it,' Thammavong said on Friday.
While there are no special sales during the reopening weekend, Thammavong said he's looking forward to the new Nike-brand Jordan release. The Air Jordan 12 'Flu Game,' is a black leather, red-textured basketball-turned-lifestyle shoe.
The shoe was originally released in 1996 for Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan during the 1996-97 NBA season, when the Bulls captured their second straight NBA championship and their fifth of the decade.
The shoe earned its nickname after the Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals to take a 3-2 lead before winning the series in six games. In that pivotal Game 5, Jordan battled 'flu-like symptoms' and managed to score 38 points in a come-from-behind win.
'It's a highly anticipated shoe, and it's been like nine years since it was last released,' Thammavong said.
The 'Flu Game' sneakers will be available at Phenom at the retail price of $210 — $228.78 after tax, according to a store employee.
Thammavong noted that their stock for the highly anticipated shoe at both locations would 'sell out pretty fast.'
According to the Phenom website, the stores are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Phenom also operates a store at 405 K St. inside the Dowtown Commons, which opened in October 2023.
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