Me, Mike, & The Shirt

Growing up in Memphis, having the right pair of shoes is essential when you are a teenager in school. It could honestly be the difference between being able to hang with the cool kids or getting “checked” the entire day. Checking is a creative- and merciless- way of making fun of someone. One place I always went to get new shoes was the Footlocker in the Southland Mall. The store manager was Michael Thomas, a 6'6" ex-college basketball player who was great at connecting with people. He was very funny, one of those people who never met a stranger. He always knew that most of the people who came to his store did not have the money to pay for many of the shoes he sold, but he always found a creative way of making sure there was an affordable option for everyone, whether it be finding an obscure coupon or finding shoes that may be old but still name brand. He had a heart of gold and was just a joy to be around. Can you imagine someone 6'6" jumping around making people laugh as if he was a clown? That was Mike.

One day when I was 14 and getting a new pair of shoes, my mom asked if he would hire me for a job at Footlocker when I turned 16. “Of course!” he said before adding, “Dominic is a good kid. I think it would be good for him. I can’t be the manager here forever.”

I was thinking to my self that this would be a dream job. I would know when the new shoes came out before anyone at…