Business of the Week: Secret Society
Correction: In the article about Secret Society in the September 6 issue of The Examiner, we incorrectly called Nike SB shoes Nike SDs.
The Examiner regrets the error. The article, with the edited correction, is below.
The secret is out in Mount Kisco.
Secret Society, a sneaker boutique which opened in June at 137 E Main St., is a haven for the serious sneaker collector.
Chris Quarles, 29, Rich Franklin, 28, and Luis Mendoza, 19, all long-time sneaker enthusiasts, run the store.
Quarles, a Mount Kisco native and Fox Lane High School graduate, said he opened Secret Society to make buying sneakers convenient for others like them.
“Sneaker collectors don’t have to drive 45 minutes or take a $20 train ride to go to the city anymore,” Quarles said.
The store carries exclusive and collectible sneakers, including styles that are no longer available. Secret Society sells rare Nike SDs and retro Air Jordans, along with Air Jordans from the 1990s. Everything sold is authentic.
“You can’t just walk into Foot Locker and get these shoes,” Quarles said. “We don’t carry every size, either. It’s all about what you can find. Collecting sneakers is the new baseball and football cards.”
Secret Society also carries clothes, along with fitted and snapback hats. Quarles, who has been a sneaker collector for as long as he can remember, said opening the store was a no-brainer for him.
“I probably have over 600 pairs of sneakers,” Quarles said. “Before the Internet made things easier, I have gone and taken trips to Boston and Miami. Rich has gone to California and Barcelona. Whenever I’m going somewhere, I make sure we find a sneaker boutique.”
Quarles said the appeal of exclusivity is the main motivator for collecting sneakers.
“I know that if I paid $400 for a pair of sneakers, chances are I’m not going to walk by anyone with the same ones on,” Quarles said. “Kids want something that no one else has.”
Growing up locally, Quarles said he was always frustrated that there was never a place he really liked to buy sneakers.
“I feel like opening this store is exciting, it feels like I’m giving back to the community,” remarked Quarles, who also has his own music label. “We are adding to the Mount Kisco economy and building up the town.”
He said response to the store has been very positive since they opened.
“Parents have the convenience of dropping their kids off in the store,” Quarles said. “They won’t let them go to the city, but they’ll give them $300 to shop at our store. It’s been great.”
Being popular with kids, Secret Society is also hoping to have a positive impact on the community. He offers discounts to students who make their school’s honor roll and will have a special event for students who maintain their honor roll standing for more than one semester.
“Education is very important to me,” Quarles said. “If not for education, I wouldn’t have the knowledge to know what I’m doing now.”
Secret Society also has its own brand of apparel. Quarles said they sold out of hats in two days as the snapback hats are making a comeback.
“The whole fashion industry does a 360 and goes back to where it started,” Quarles said. “These kids weren’t alive when snapbacks originated and were relevant. The same thing with Air Jordans — they weren’t alive when Jordan was playing.”
The store’s rarest shoe is a pair of Nike Paris SDs that was never released in the United States, and only about 200 exist worldwide. It values for $5,500.
Quarles said as Mount Kisco has become a destination, people enjoy shopping at a store run by people who grew up locally. He said he enjoys putting in the 12-hour days because he is doing something he loves.
“It’s been the best experience,” Quarles said. “It’s the most rewarding feeling to see something built from the ground up. It’s so gratifying.”
For more information, contact the store at 914-864-2006.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.