Sleeping out for sneakers demonstrates true shoe love

You've heard women love their shoes, but more than a dozen men in Las Vegas can challenge the depth of that love.

At 11 a.m. last Friday, customers began claiming their spots in line outside the doors of Undefeated, a premium sneaker boutique across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel. It's now 12 hours later and the store's front porch is an RV short of a camp site. Some have started dozing off in their folding lawn chairs. One sips from a tall can of beer. Another taps away at his laptop keyboard to pass the time.

All 15 of them await the same prize. Saturday's noon launch of Kanye West's sneaker collaboration with Nike Sportswear: the Nike Air Yeezy.

The entire state of Nevada boasts only 15 pairs. Undefeated has all 15. While the shoes ring up for $238, the going rate on eBay is $850 and expected to keep climbing.

This marks more than a sneaker debut for the young men who withstand the lower than average April temps and already have witnessed security guards break up a drunken brawl from which a baggie of cocaine was left behind (and later reclaimed). For them, it's a way of life. Or, as 29-year-old Ron Dixon from West Palm Beach, Fla., puts it, a "problem."

If anyone would know, it's him. More accurately, it's his wife. Dixon is on his honeymoon right now.

"She was cool with it," he insists, draping his polar bear build with a thin blanket. "She knows I'm a sneaker addict."

For Dixon, the obsession started in 1991 with a pair of Air Jordan Infrared 6's. For Jung Cheon, the first customer in line, it took the Jordans of 1999. But for Cheon to take notice of the woman he now calls his girlfriend, a pair of Nike SB Hunter Dunk Los by Reese Forbes did the trick.

"The shoes are a bridge to a lot of relationships," says Chris Julian, managing partner for Undefeated Las Vegas.

While a pair of Jordans in the '90s could be spotted a basketball court away, the shoe launches that self-proclaimed sneaker heads will partake in outdoor slumber parties for don't have the same mass production recognition. Which is why sneaker aficionados covet them. The exclusivity makes the appeal.

It's now creeping up on midnight. Dixon is cuddled up with the concrete instead of his new wife. Empty pizza boxes litter the ground. A few guys make use of the hoods on their hoodies and others cocoon themselves from the wind chill factor with blankets. No one will claim they're freezing, but no one will call it comfortable, either.

"I'm having the time of my life," says Wesley Ramos, the only 30-year-old in the herd. "I can't feel my feet, but I'm having fun."

The real fun starts tomorrow, they explain. That's when the wishful thinkers will arrive. Those who know about the 15 pair limit and line up as numbers 16, 17 and 18, anyway. At least they have the decency to line up, though. Someone from the Seattle Seahawks called earlier, looking for a pair, as did Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams. Neither have a place in line, nor a pair of Air Yeezys, not from this store, anyway.

"Expect a lot of hurt feelings tomorrow," says Jason Morris, assistant manager at neighboring store, Stussy. Morris briefly dropped in to scope out the crowd -- and trigger a little jealousy as he drove away in a heated SUV.

Fast forward to 11:10 the next morning, 50 minutes to opening time, and the sound of a relentless ringing phone can be heard from inside the store. The line also looks a little different. An African-American kid with dreadlocks and a New York Yankees hat has been replaced by a white kid wearing a Just Do It shirt and New York Mets hat. Six hundred dollars got him there.

"It seems like the right thing to do now," says 23-year-old Jed Shearer, who was recently laid off, "but talk to me in six months."

At 10 minutes to noon, management decides to open up shop a little early. Store manager Patrick Renaud lets customers in one by one and gives the first one a congratulatory man hug: half handshake, half hug. Cheon's been waiting almost 25 hours for this moment.

A dimly lit store and hip-hop music at a shout-to-be-heard volume greet him. The College of Southern Nevada student takes the walk of honor toward Julian who smiles at the cash register under the beaming Undefeated logo.

The pride felt in the store makes one wonder if a diploma comes with the shoes. To top it off, when Cheon returns outdoors with his bag and receipt in tow, he's met with applause.

He originally planned to cash out on eBay, but changed his mind the night before. For others, cashing out is selling out.

Las Vegas native Alonzo "DJ ZO" Valencia, 22, paid one of his unemployed buddies $100 to save him a spot while Valencia put in his eight hours at work. "Hey," he says, "Southwest Gas is on my ass. ... But I wouldn't give up these shoes if someone paid me $1,000 right now for them."

Jason Jackson would, though. In fact, he surrendered his pair for $800, the price Jason Tam-Hoy of Hawaii paid him for a pair of 91/2's shortly after the doors opened. Tam-Hoy celebrates his 32nd birthday today. The shoes are a self-bestowed gift.

So, has news of the recession missed these men? According to Julian, the fervor sneaker heads have for their shoes almost makes a store like Undefeated recession-immune. But, that's just the economy. "We've been in a creative and cultural recession in Las Vegas for a long time," he says.

For instance, the line in L.A. took form on Wednesday, putting their city's awareness and their customers' commitment 48 hours ahead of Las Vegas'.

Right about now, Adam Resendez's eight-hour commitment is enough to cause the 20-year-old from Bakersfield, Calif., anxiety. "My dad's gonna be pissed off," the 16th in line says. "He's been waiting in his car for me since 4 a.m."

Resendez is one of the wishful thinkers the original 15 spoke of the night before. He knows they said only 15, but high hopes have him -- and Dad and the handful of kids behind him -- hanging on.

As luck would have it, the store manager has an announcement to make. "We have one more pair," Renaud shouts. Before Resendez can feel the joy of that statement, he's hit with this one: "It's a size 13."

For 10 seconds all eyes glue to the kid from Bakersfield. He glances at Dad, who's gripping a wad of cash, and finally shakes his now low-hanging head "no." Resendez wanted to rock the Air Yeezys, not to hawk the Air Yeezys.

But his loss marks another wishful thinker's gain. The last sale goes through and the doors open to the public. A few of the fortunate 15 linger outside, giving each other fist pounds and props for their successful hunt and kill.

"We may disagree on politics and everything else," says Dixon, who still hasn't hurried home to wifey, "but at the end of the day, we come together on sneakers."

The black and taupe colorway Air Yeezys will launch in upcoming months. Contact Undefeated for more information, 4480 Paradise Road, No. 400, 732-0019.