AKRON, Ohio — It’s a dream come true for some Ohio natives and lifelong friends now opening their own storefront in their hometown.
Frankie Walker said UNKNWN is the store they wish they had while growing up. Walker is one co-founder and co-owner, along with Jaron Kanfer and LeBron James.
Walker said he befriended NBA All-Star James as a kid, and he’s now like a big brother.
“We met when we were playing football when we were about 8,” he said. “He moved in shortly after and, you know, he kind of just became a part of the family.”
They shared a love of sports and sneakers. Keeping a close eye on what their athletic idols were wearing.
“All these guys inspired us as young athletes and the footwear they wore, we just kind of tried to make sure we stayed up to date on whatever they had on,” Walker said.
A wall of sneakers in styles for men, women and kids is available inside UNKNWN in downtown Akron. (Jenna Jordan/Spectrum News 1)
But being a sneaker head as a kid wasn’t always easy.
“We had one pair of shoes to go to school in and one to hoop in,” Walker said. “That was our choice for a while.”
Until holidays and birthdays, which Walker said didn’t always work out in James’s favor.
“LeBron was a little bit different because his birthday was kind of right by Christmas, so sometimes his Christmas shoe and birthday shoe were the same shoe,” Walker said.
But now they have an entire wall of fresh footwear inside their downtown Akron store, UNKNWN. This is their second location after opening a storefront in Miami in 2019.
“Coming out of Akron, moving to a big city, no one knew us,” Walker said. “We knew no one there. It was really uncharted territory for us, so the name kind of stuck.”
In bringing their concept back home, Walker said he handles the sneaker selections while Kanfer stocks the apparel.
“I’m like real simplistic monotone kind of action. He’s a little bit more… adventurous on his,” Walker said while describing his and Kanfer’s styles.
But both have had their styles evolve over time.
“Typical mid-30s dad gear, I guess we still want to be cool,” Walker said.
A recreation of LeBron James’s signature is featured on this shoe inside UNKNWN. (Jenna Jordan/Spectrum News 1)
They also want the business to stand for more than shopping. They’re hoping to host events and workshops as a neighborhood resource.
The trio also partnered with the Summit Lake Community Center during the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend to refurbish the facility and donate items like school supplies.
“We all grew up there, we played basketball there,” Walker said. “That’s where we first learned how to play, so we have a soft spot for that space.”
And through it all have learned there’s really no place like home.
“I’ve traveled the world,” Walker said. “I’ve been in a lot of places. I’ve lived in great cities. To me, nothing’s like Akron. This is where I wanna be. This is where my roots are. And to me there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be.”
