'Sneaker Doc' cleaning up with trainer restoration

WHEN Birmingham's oldest independent shoe shop, Sims, closed recently after four decades, it felt like the end of an old traditional trade in a city once known for having a thousand of them.

- KIRSTY BOSLEY Sunday Mercury Writer

But while Brummies may have lost a place where they could buy brand new footwear, a modern classic business is thriving up behind Brindleyplace.

Reece Jones, 24, has managed to garner tens of thousands of loyal followers on digital platforms, attracting a whole roster of celebrity clients, doing something that tradesmen in Birmingham have been doing for centuries: cleaning shoes.

Sneaker Doc is a 'make do and mend' kind of a business, where instead of being encouraged to buy, buy, buy, Brummies are given the chance to breathe new life into their old purchases by having them overhauled by someone revered as one of the best in the business.

Since it opened back in 2018, Sneaker Doc has overhauled tens of thousands of pairs of footwear, from New Balance daily trainers up to Louboutin collectors pieces worth upwards of £1,000.

For nearly three years, the shop, once based in Halesowen, has been on Sheepcote Street in the city centre.

As well as being the go-to for sports stars like Jack Grealish, Ollie Watkins and Leon Edwards, Reece gets footwear sent in from all over the UK to clean and 'bring back to life!

A former aerospace engineering apprentice, Reece, from Dudley, started part time at The Sneaker Doc during the Covid crisis to supplement his income valeting and detailing cars.