Entrepreneur hawks wares, dares to dream
Hip-hop inspired garb comprises young man's start-up business
Marieke van der Vaart & Betsy Woodruff
Issue date: 10/23/08 Section: Beyond
"Uptown Styles! Uptown Styles! Take a picture!" Deon Baldwin cries to passers-by.
His voice is clear and confident above the bustle of the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds; he knows he's just a few sales away from living every entrepreneur's dream.
A few scruffy middle-schoolers pass by, glancing over his stacks of hip-hop inspired shoes, T-shirts and sweatshirts with disinterest.
"Business is not for everyone," he says. Five years after co-founding Uptown Styles as a high-school business project, he is president and proprietor of the company.
"In order to succeed in business," he says, "you have to be willing to work the hours no one else is willing to work."
He bought the shoe company about a month ago: "September 16, 2008. It was a great day!"
Baldwin has also kept up with his education at Washington Community College while managing the company, he says.
"MC Breed wears these shoes," he says proudly. They'll also appear in a movie, though he doesn't remember the title.
"It starts with a 'D' and ends with a 'Y,'" he recalls.
Baldwin has big dreams: a women's line and thinner soles to make the shoe more skater-friendly.
"Skaters, you know, wanna feel the board."
The shoes are made in China and sell for $70 online.
Fairgoers, however, can buy them for $35. T-shirts and hoodies are also sold at Baldwin's booth.
The shoes themselves have a few features that set them apart from the pack of modern streetwear.
Customers can have them airbrushed (a sample pair is emblazoned with "Nicole" in hot pink), and a logo of the Detroit skyline rests upon the back of the shoe.
This fall's line will feature Bob Marley-inspired "Amazing Blues" shoes as well as a selection of suede shoes.
For now, though, Baldwin makes the fair circuit.
He stands behind a collapsible table piled high with shoes, CDs and T-shirts, hawking his wares to potential customers.
The shoes are not a hot item today, but he has sold a few hoodies. He doesn't seem to have much luck with the Hillsdale crowd - his key demographic is males ages 12-26.
Baldwin makes most of his sales at his store, located in the Precision Cuts Barbershop in Ann Arbor, Mich., and his Web site, uptownstyles
He also owns a Facebook page: www.facebook.com
His voice is clear and confident above the bustle of the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds; he knows he's just a few sales away from living every entrepreneur's dream.
A few scruffy middle-schoolers pass by, glancing over his stacks of hip-hop inspired shoes, T-shirts and sweatshirts with disinterest.
"Business is not for everyone," he says. Five years after co-founding Uptown Styles as a high-school business project, he is president and proprietor of the company.
"In order to succeed in business," he says, "you have to be willing to work the hours no one else is willing to work."
He bought the shoe company about a month ago: "September 16, 2008. It was a great day!"
Baldwin has also kept up with his education at Washington Community College while managing the company, he says.
"MC Breed wears these shoes," he says proudly. They'll also appear in a movie, though he doesn't remember the title.
"It starts with a 'D' and ends with a 'Y,'" he recalls.
Baldwin has big dreams: a women's line and thinner soles to make the shoe more skater-friendly.
"Skaters, you know, wanna feel the board."
The shoes are made in China and sell for $70 online.
Fairgoers, however, can buy them for $35. T-shirts and hoodies are also sold at Baldwin's booth.
The shoes themselves have a few features that set them apart from the pack of modern streetwear.
Customers can have them airbrushed (a sample pair is emblazoned with "Nicole" in hot pink), and a logo of the Detroit skyline rests upon the back of the shoe.
This fall's line will feature Bob Marley-inspired "Amazing Blues" shoes as well as a selection of suede shoes.
For now, though, Baldwin makes the fair circuit.
He stands behind a collapsible table piled high with shoes, CDs and T-shirts, hawking his wares to potential customers.
The shoes are not a hot item today, but he has sold a few hoodies. He doesn't seem to have much luck with the Hillsdale crowd - his key demographic is males ages 12-26.
Baldwin makes most of his sales at his store, located in the Precision Cuts Barbershop in Ann Arbor, Mich., and his Web site, uptownstyles
He also owns a Facebook page: www.facebook.com
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