NAME? Thomas Williams

OCCUPATION IN BMX? Shop owner (Empire BMX)

SO WHATS YOUR AFFILIATION WITH THE SHOE INDUSTRY? As a retailer of shoes, we do our best to provide a selection that we feel is, first and foremost, one that we can confidently sell. We don’t choose to carry anything and everything, we usually pick shoes that we feel are of excellent quality, visually appealing, fit in our desired price range, and are produced by companies that we admire.

WHAT SHOES ARE YOU GONNA WEAR TODAY? Well, I broke my collarbone pretty bad about a month ago, so I’ve been off the bike. My preferred shoes for riding is The Boss by Emerica, but those have been discontinued so I try to make my remaining stock last a while. The injury/chilling/Boss-lifespan-lengthening shoes of choice are Emerica AR Slims.

WHY THEM? For riding, I like a lot of padding and support, and The Boss is the gift that keeps on giving in those respects. The AR Slims are slimmer/thinner, so they’re pretty decent for casual wear. Hate me if you want, but I’ve yet to find any BMX-specific shoes that compare for me since Etnies stopped making Throttles. I’d prefer to wear BMX-specific shoes, but I won’t wear something that doesn’t feel right. If someone makes a BMX shoe that works for me, I’d wear them. The Aaron Ross signature Etnies will definitely be on my feet at some point, they’re looking good.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NIKE IN BMX? In all honesty, I don’t have any extreme feelings about it one way or the other. I’d certainly like to see a BMX company come in and do what Nike can do, but the resources and demand simply aren’t there.“Make a good BMX shoe, we’ll sell the fuck out of it” Nike probably spends a considerable amount of money on their BMX riders and events, and it’s likely that a BMX shoe company just can’t do the same with the relatively limited market. Nike has their hands in everything, so the amount they’re spending on BMX is a drop in the bucket.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ETHICALLY ABOUT NIKE? I am admittedly ignorant about Nike’s policies and practices, but my excuse is that I simply don’t have any reason to pursue it. We’re probably never going to sell Nike, I’m probably never going to buy Nike, that’s it and that’s all. If the time comes to consider bringing Nike into our shop, which is probably unlikely (I’m sure they’d think we’re idiots), I’ll follow up on the ethical ramifications.

DO YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A PLACE FOR MULTI NATIONAL BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES IN BMX? Certainly, as long as they provide a good product, treat BMX with the respect that it deserves, and take care of the sponsored riders. If Nike does all that, more power to them. I won’t buy any, but I’m not going to talk shit to someone that does. It sucks for smaller companies, especially those that are strictly BMX, but no company should be arbitrarily banned from BMX unless legitimate reasons exist. If anything, maybe having a big dog like that on the block will result in the smaller companies dialing things in faster than they would have otherwise. Competition is a good thing; it can bring out the best of all parties involved. BMX is still a pretty tight community, and riders will support rider-owned or rider-run companies IF the product is up to par. Maybe involvement of companies like Nike and the like, even in the short term, will raise the bar for the smaller companies, ultimately hastening improvement of their own product.

DO YOU CARRY NIKES AT EMPIRE? No.

WHY NOT? As much as we can, we carry stuff that we would purchase as customers ourselves. No one here has any desire to purchase Nike shoes, so carrying them simply isn’t on the radar. But, if Nike proves to be in BMX for the long haul, and they come out with a shoe that we feel is sweet, we wouldn’t be opposed to getting in the sack with them.

WHAT COULD NIKE AND COMPANIES DO TO MAKE YOU BUY THEM? Clone John Povah and give the clone a job running your BMX program.

ANY LAST WORDS YOU WANT PEOPLE TO HEAR ON THE SUBJECT? Make a good BMX shoe, we’ll sell the fuck out of it.