VNTGCAPZ AND DOMSNEAKZ

VNTgCAPzANddOmSNEAKz ARE KEEPiNgyOu FREShiNThE ARizONAhEAT

Story by: David Ulloa

n the ever-expanding world of streetwear and vintage clothing, Dominic Hidalgo and Cristian Roman have established a name for themselves in Arizona as “domsneakz” and “vntgcapz” (pronounced vintage caps), resale vendors of sneakers and vintage hats.

Hidalgo and Roman turned their passions into growing Instagram businesses that cater to sneaker and hat collectors throughout Arizona.

“It all started with my dad,” Hidalgo said. “He’s a big Jordan collector. He has hundreds and hundreds of pairs of shoes from way back when from the ’80s, 90’s pairs, countdown packs, DMP (Defining Moment Packs).”

When Hidalgo was in elementary and middle school, he was known as the “kid with the Jordans” because his father used to buy him the latest Jordans, Nikes, and player edition sneakers (shoes made for a basketball player and made available at retail). As Hidalgo got older, he learned the monetary value of sneakers.

“Domsneakz” began on Dec. 3, 2020, when Hidalgo camped outside of GameStop to purchase a PlayStation 5. Hidalgo sold the PlayStation 5 and bought a pair of Air Jordan Flint 13s. These were the first pair of shoes Hidalgo bought to resell.

Like Hidalgo, Roman’s business started with his passion for vintage clothing.

“I’ve always been the type to go thrifting,” Roman said. “I’ve always liked old stuff. And then I’ve always liked hats.”

Roman started “vntgcapz” when he bought 20 vintage hats for $200 from OfferUp. In November 2020, Roman sold these hats at an event called Heated Sole Summit, which was the first time he sold vintage hats.

Roman’s original intention was to sell hats in the parking lot of the Heated Sole Summit event, but the host of the event reached out to him with an offer to set up a table at the event instead.

Roman’s experience at the Heated Sole Summit helped him garner recognition and it deepened his passion for vintage hats.

Hidalgo garners recognition by forming relationships within the resale sneaker community. For him, “it’s all about connections.”

In the first few months of his business, Hidalgo struggled but the connections he formed benefited him in the long run.

“I’m now in a position where I have a lot of people who sell to me under the market, so I have a chance to flip in and make my profit,” Hidalgo said.

Hidalgo bought his first pair of shoes to resell, Air Jordan Flint 13, on OfferUp for $100 and resold them for $150. He did not explicitly name his sources, but Hidalgo said that he obtains his sneakers from his friends in the sneaker retailer business.

“I do it all through my peoples, Instagram, even OfferUp,” Hidalgo said. “If you can get lucky, OfferUp has a lot of steals.”

Rather than relying on connections, Roman gets his vintage hats from Facebook, OfferUp, pop-ups, swap meets and thrift stores.

“If I see a hat that’s for cheap that I know it’s worth something, I’ll pick it up,” Roman said.

Photos by: David Ulloa

When Roman is looking for new hats to buy, he looks at the color and the team that is on them. Then, he checks the price of the hat online and he will price his hats at $20-$30 below the average market price.

According to Roman, certain teams will affect the value of the hat. He thinks this because there are some team hats that are more sought after by collectors, noting the Las Vegas Raiders (formerly the Oakland Raiders), Los Angeles Dodgers, and Los Angeles Lakers as team hats that would be worth more money.

“Honestly, I can say I started at a really bad time,” Hidalgo said “I started at a time when everything started blowing

Despite starting at a time when the sneaker resale industry had already taken off, Hidalgo believes his emphasis on forming connections within the sneaker community makes his business unique. He also believes his business is different from other shoe resellers because he sells his sneakers in “singles,” meaning he does not sell sneakers in bulk.

As stated in the name, “vntgcapz” specializes in vintage hats. Roman said that a lot of sellers in Arizona focus on selling vintage clothing and he does not usually see vintage hat sellers. Hence, Roman chose to specialize in vintage hats. Another reason he says he chose hats is because “it’s always sunny out here so a hat is always useful.”

“Over time, you start learning,” Hidalgo said. “You start doing your research. And you learn that shoes can be a big investment.”

In our interview, Hidalgo showed me a pair of Nike Air Max 1/97 Sean Wotherspoons and mentioned that the value of these shoes has skyrocketed since its release. According to a 2018 article from Sole Collector, a sneaker news website, these shoes originally retailed at $160. The current resale value of the shoes on StockX, a shoe and clothing resale website, sits above $1000.

“It made me money just doing nothing- sitting there,” Hidalgo said. “You know, you don’t have to do nothing. Both Roman and Hidalgo compared their businesses to investing in stocks because the resale value of their products can increase over time. However, Roman did mention that it is difficult to predict when a hat will become popular.

On March 19, 2020, Hidalgo and Roman collaborated on a photo shoot to showcase their shoe and hat inventory. In the photo, Hidalgo’s shoes were matched up with Roman’s hats. According to Hidalgo, after their collaboration, many of Hidalgo’s clients started going to Roman for vintage hats and vice versa.

Roman and Hidalgo’s friendship extends long before their collaboration. The two have known each other since they attended first grade at Peralta Elementary School in the Maryvale area of Phoenix.

“Cristian really motivated me to get up and do it,” Hidalgo said of starting his sneaker business.

Hidalgo said that when Roman turned his passion for vintage hats into a business, it inspired him to do the same with shoes.

“Seeing him with the hats. Me with the shoes. And both being two blocks from each other. And doing our own thing. Seeing him at events. You know, big-name events in Arizona. Doing his own thing. It’s cool,” Hidalgo said.

In our interview, I asked Roman and Hidalgo what advice they would give to anyone who is interested in turning their passion for vintage hats and/or shoes into a business. Roman said, “Don’t care what other people think. Don’t let them bring you down. Don’t let them talk bad about you. Just push it, you know?” Hidalgo referred to a saying in the resale sneaker community: “Scared money don’t make money.” Both men encourage anyone who is interested in joining the sneaker and vintage hat resale community to take risks.

Cristian Roman and Dominic Hidalgo’s businesses can be found on Instagram: @vntgcapz & @domsneakz .

“Shoes do the work for you. It’s a big investment. It’s like stocks.”