La Bonne Paire sells second-hand sneakers in Lyon. Before the shop came two and a half years in a garage, cleaning pairs and selling them online.
How did you end up opening a resale shop, and what made you think your city needed one?
We opened a shop after spending two and a half years in a garage, cleaning pairs and selling them online. Once we reached a certain turnover, opening a shop became the obvious next step. Almost two years ago, we were the first in the city to specialise in second-hand, and in very affordable sneakers in particular. Time proved us right: today, five second-hand businesses are active in Lyon.
What does the sneaker scene look like in your city right now? What do you see at the counter that the media miss?
What sneaker media don't see in the Lyon scene are the micro-trends and styles orbiting the classic sneaker: the arrival of models and brands like On, Golden Goose, Clarks and Dr. Martens, and the public losing interest in Nike and, more broadly, in sneakers as we used to know them. The scene is split between people nostalgic for the hype years and the majority, who follow trends season by season.
What's the pair that came through the shop that you still think about?
Nike Air Max 90 Veracruz. We bought it completely by chance for about ten euros. Even now we have a really hard time finding another pair, and most collectors have never even heard of this pair.
What's the pair you turned away that the seller swore was like new? What gave it away?
Golden Goose Runner. The deliberately distressed finish sometimes makes the pair's condition hard to judge.
The wear on the insole, though, doesn't lie.
La Bonne Paire
What are you actually buying right now, and what isn't moving?
What we actually buy: the Air Max 1—our favourite model—which sells very well.
What isn't moving: unsurprisingly, the Dunk Low, which we now offer brand new for €39.99.
What do collectors get most wrong about price or value?
The gap between new and second-hand. A lot of collectors and second-hand sellers ask 70 to 90% of the retail price for their pairs, when in reality their value sits closer to 40 to 60% of the market price.
