Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Roundtree, Co- Founder of Sneaker Museum Oakland along with Damon Sudds. Danielle shares a little about their story below. Everything else is fine.
Sneaker Museum Oakland opened Saturday, April 3, 2021 with their premier held at Joyce Gordon Gallery in Downtown Oakland.
Sneaker Museum Oakland is a nascent pop-up museum dedicated to the art, culture, and history of sneakers. Danielle Roundtree and Damon Sudds are the museum’s founders and curators. They created the museum based on their own love for sneakers, culture, and fashion.
Founder, Danielle Roundtree, says “Sneaker Museum Oakland’s goal is to bring the art and museum experience to all Oaklanders, especially Oakland’s youth. Each pair of sneakers has a story to tell and it is the job of Sneaker Museum Oakland to tell those stories authentically.”
Merchandise is available for sale at www.sneakermuseumoakland.org.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
HELL NO! Learning how to organize, launch, fund, and build this brand has been taxing to say the least. Learning to manage ourselves, the business and people involved, in real-time is not for the faint of heart. Every insecurity that we had was brought to the surface. I literally had to fight, kick, scream, and cry my way through it in order to see the exhibitions come to life. Not to mention, this was all done in the midst of a pandemic! Every loss and success became a lesson.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As founders, we not only curate each exhibit, but we’re also responsible for building relationships within the sneaker community. This enables us to bring brand awareness to other local businesses through collaboration. We provide a place for sneakerheads to commune outside of store lineups. I’m most proud that we actually had exhibits! This started as an idea in my mind, and to see it come to fruition makes me most proud! People who aren’t even into sneakers ask me about our exhibits. It sparks conversation and brings people together, the key components to building community.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
First, I have to shout out Joyce Gordon Gallery for allowing us to host our first EVER pop-up there. I have to shout out my cousin for pushing me to start, being one of our first investors and board members. I have to thank our initial board members in general.
I have to shout out my brother Dame and co-founder for sticking beside me and lending his creative genius to our dream. I have to give credit to my big brother Vel who said, “Try working for yourself, you already know how to work for somebody else. If it doesn’t work out, you can just go back and get a job”.Shout out to my business and life coach, but most of all, my friend Tiff for being a constant motivator through this process! I have to thank God, my mom and all of her prayers, my lawyers! Big shout out to Rick and Ronnell who continue to provide sneakers for our exhibits and to all the exhibitors featured in the past. We wouldn’t have exhibits without their generous and continuous contributions and support. ALL the entrepreneurs in my family, my Howard family, my friends! Listen, it takes a village, and I am blessed to have an excellent one!
Pricing:
- We have a wide variety of collectible merchandise. Prices range from $10 to $2000.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sneakermuseumoakland/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SneakerMuseumOak/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L-DpFt97mE
Image Credits
Bryon Malik
