Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Giddens.
Robert, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story began in a small town in Alabama on a dairy farm! Growing up as a biracial person in Alabama was not easy, especially in a small town. As soon as I graduated, I knew I had to get out. I ended up going to college in Birmingham, Alabama, at a school called Highlands College. When I was there, I met a Pastor named Brian Cromer and he was planting a church in Cincinnati. I had never lived outside of Alabama, but I felt like God was calling me to come here and help Brian start Queen City Church. I moved here in January of 2018 with no friends or family but a dream in my heart. My dream was to find and build community here in this city and I feel like that has become a reality. Throughout my few years in Ohio, I have faced many setbacks and adversity, but I find myself very much budding into the man that I always dreamed I could be. After leading the college ministry at my church for a few years, I stepped down from my leadership position and sought a career path. One of my best friends was reselling shoes and told me he saw a great opportunity in the market. I did not know much about sneaker culture, but I knew how to build a brand and social media platforms, and I knew how to move products. I started my first business in 2020, called Heart and Sole Cincy, with very little money or experience but somehow stumbled my way into exponential growth very quickly. In March of 2022 I had built my inventory up to around 400 pairs of shoes worth around $100,000 dollars when the unthinkable happened. While on vacation, the storage unit I stored all my shoes in was broken into and I lost everything I had overnight. Call it naive or stupid, but I did not have insurance on my unit, so I was unable to recover any of my losses legally. I was able to raise money through a GoFundMe and was also given support by some of the local sneaker retail stores in the city. I was really torn in between giving up and going to get a normal job instead of chasing my dreams as an entrepreneur. I was soon approached by my current business partner, Nick Nguyen, owner of Sidewalk Sneakers. After a few conversations with Nick, I decided to partner up with him and another one of my friends, Nigel, and open up From The Sidewalk. From The Sidewalk opened in July of 2022 and, in a very short time, has been featured in Complex Sneaker shopping, collaborated with FC Cincinnati, and has partnered with multiple businesses and foundations in the community. From The Sidewalk is home of Jet Black Vintage which is making waves in the city, and I believe will one day be a nationally recognized brand focusing on sustainability and upcycling vintage garmets. I am honored to be a part of this amazing brand, and I believe the culture in Cincinnati is being elevated because of us.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My journey has been anything but smooth, but I am a believer that everything happens for a reason. My life has evolved so much since moving to Cincy. The transition from College Pastor to entrepreneur has had its many hurdles. Getting robbed and having to rebuild my business has been one of those life-altering experiences and most challenging. I have continuously had to adapt and elevate to stay alive and to stay in business. Learning how to run a business, pay taxes, and implement systems/strategies is its own animal. I would say just continuing to believe in myself and believe in God has been one of the biggest challenges. There have been times when I doubted both, but I stand here today better and brighter than ever. I am very hopeful for the future because of the hardships that I have faced and endured!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are technically a sneaker & hype-wear clothing resale store. I think what makes us special, aside from the product offerings that we curate, is the culture/community that we have built. When you walk in our store you feel a sense of belonging and love- or at least that is what we strive for. From The Sidewalk is also home of Jet Black Vintage which is making waves in the city, and I believe will one day be a nationally recognized brand focusing on sustainability and upcycling vintage garments. We are currently staffing/interning 3 students from DAAP (the design school at the University of Cincinnati). These students are hand-making one-of-one garments under the direction of our creative director.
Contact Info:
- Website: thesidewalkshop.com
- Instagram: @fromthesidewalk__
- Other: @jetblackvintage
