PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The owner of the world’s first sneaker museum is reflecting on sharing his vintage Nike collection for the production of “Air” — telling the story behind Nike’s Jordan brand.
ShoeZeum owner Jordan Geller told KOIN 6 News’ Everyday Northwest, “I’ve always loved sneakers, ever since I was a little kid. My name is Jordan Michael so, I always felt a real strong connection to Michael Jordan.”
Geller says his dad also inspired him to start the collection, adding, “my dad used to run marathons when I was a kid, and he only wore brand new, cool Nikes. So, he taught me all about the cool, top-of-the-line running shoes, I fell in love with the basketball shoes and I just always wanted sneakers.”
Geller said “Air” set designer Jan Pascale reached out to him in search of shoes made before 1984, when the film takes place.
“I started showing her pictures of some of the old Nikes from my collection, she fell in love, and they hired me and rented all of these shoes. And I actually got to go to the set, meet Ben Affleck, I got to see some of the scenes being filmed. It was just an incredible opportunity,” Geller said.
While the physical ShoeZuem in San Diego eventually moved to Las Vegas, Geller has since sold shoes from his collection but still shares shoes and the stories behind them on social media.