Source: Eastbay / Eastbay
Anyone who says they had this on their 2022 bingo card is a liar. On Tuesday (Dec. 27), news broke that longtime athletic footwear and apparel supplier and retailer Eastbay would be closing shop at the end of the month.
For sneakerheads who came up in the ’90s, the Eastbay catalog was akin to the Bible when it came to eyeing the latest offerings from brands like Nike, adidas and Reebok. The direct-mail retailer’s catalogs served like a wishlist of coveted kicks like Air Jordans (any number), Air Max 95s, Reebok The Questions and many, many more.
The prices on display also gave you a sobering reality when it came down to what you could and couldn’t afford, and strategizing what kicks you’d be able to get your coins together to cop, or beg your parents to buy for you. Now they also serve as a time capsule of what kicks were and weren’t popping during those halcyon days of the sneaker game when you didn’t have to essentially play a version of the lotto to score a pair of coveted sneakers.
But alas, Eastbay will close reportedly at the end of 2022. According to WPR, about 10 employees will be laid off. Eastbay was founded in 1980 in Wisconsin, and purchased by Foot Locker in 1997, giving it access to an even wider range of sneakers, apparel and gear. But back in October 2022, Foot Locker notified officials in Wausau, WI that it would be closing Eastbay’s distribution facility in the city by early 2023, citing “opportunities to optimize our U.S. distribution network to serve our customers nationwide more efficiently and effectively.”
Furthermore, the Eastbay.com website will be consolidated and made part of the Champs Sports banner, per Foot Locker.
See social media reactions to Eastbay’s unfortunate demise in the gallery.