Eastbay’s announcement to discontinue its business yesterday marked the end of an era for many longtime sneaker fans.
“We’re saying goodbye to Eastbay at the end of December 2022,” Eastbay said in a statement about the closure.
Founded in 1980 by two friends, Art Juedes and Rick Gering, after being frustrated with the lack of options for running shoes in their hometown of Wausau, Wisconsin. The business strategy of Eastbay was to bring the shoes directly to the athlete, which was achieved through their monthly mail-in catalogs.
Before the age of the internet, the online retailers’ monthly catalogs served as a primary destination for shoppers to learn about the latest sneaker releases. For many longtime fans, the physical pages of the Eastbay catalogs sparked their affinity for sneakers, as they provided the most in-depth look at the hottest releases at the time of issue.
As expected with this announcement, fans gathered on social media to reminisce on the good times from receiving their monthly Eastbay catalogs. Scroll through for some of the best reactions below.
