Sneaker Room’s Suraj Kaufman on Loss, Legacy and Jersey City
His mom’s rent was $110. The Jordans he wanted were $120. That math followed Suraj Kaufman from the Marion projects all the way to founding Sneaker Room, one of Jersey City’s most beloved businesses.
On this episode of the HudPost Podcast, Willie Gonza sits down with Kaufman to talk about the road nobody saw. Losing his job while caring for his wife after a stroke. Losing his mother to cancer weeks later, and the framed share of Nike stock she left behind that still pays him every quarter. Losing his first house to foreclosure to keep the business alive.
He also gets into the wins. The inaugural Sneaker Gala that raised $100,000 for Jersey City Medical Center in one night. The Adidas collaboration that started with airbrushed customs at the Puerto Rican Day parade and ended with 3,000 people in the streets of Santurce for a free sneaker giveaway. The annual block party that puts $55,000 worth of backpacks on kids’ backs.
And his message to any kid from the projects who feels underestimated: “I was you.”
