From sneakerhead to biz owner — Randolph man opens Brockton store from a hobby
BROCKTON — One man’s sneaker collecting hobby turned into a full-time career he never thought would be possible.
For the last two years, Bony Valsadiya immersed himself in the vibrant sneaker reselling and collecting culture.
With the help of his business partner Chirag Patel, they officially opened The Connect, a sneaker and apparel store located at 186 Oak St. in Brockton.
Valsadiya began heavily investing himself into his new hobby in 2019.
While doing some soul searching in 2020, Valsadiya thought opening a sneaker business out of his thriving hobby could be a smart money move.
Valsadiya’s family owns several establishments in Brockton, from gas stations to liquors stores, and even a marijuana dispensary, Botera.
Running successful businesses is something that came naturally to his family, Valsadiya said.
The idea of opening a sneaker store became a no-brainer as Valsadiya saw many people around him create a sustainable income solely by buying and reselling sneakers.
The Randolph resident has met collectors of all ages, even as young as 8 years old, at conventions.
“There are thousands of people who attend the sneaker conventions with their wife, kids, friends and family,” Valsadiya said.
Sneakers, in general, bring different races, ages, and all kinds of people together for one goal, to buy a sneaker they want, Valsadiya said.
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The shop sells various sneakers with a range of sizes, including Yeezy Foam Runners, regular Yeezy sneakers, Jordans, Nike Dunks, and Air Forces.
As for appeal in the store, they have Bape, Anti-Social, VLone, Gallery Dept, Stone Island and Essential.
Valsadiya prides himself in the amount of stock on popular items like Essential.
“No one in Brockton has the stock I do,” Valsadiya said.
From sizes, extra extra small to extra large, The Connect has something for you.
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“As a minority-owned business, we had a lot of opportunities to grow in Brockton. Brockton has always been, and always will be, a business city filled with entrepreneurs and hustlers,” he said.
Valsadiya came to America from India in 2018 and soaked up all the information he could to build a good life for himself with the help of his family.
The end goal for the entrepreneur is to open several stores around the United States and become a household name similar to Stadium Goods.
Hours of operation are Sunday to Thursday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday to Saturday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Enterprise staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss and Instagram at Alishaatv. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton The Connect: Sneaker store is located at 186 Oak St.
