Six Hundred Four founder James Lepp is changing the way people experience West Coast art. A keen eye may catch a glimpse on any given pedestrian — say — a tourist, Vancouverite, or well-heeled shopper. The visual art is original works by local artists, digitally printed on limited-edition sneakers. His luxury sneaker brand gives a whole new meaning to a travelling exhibition and begs the question by astute observers: "Where'd you get those?"
An Abbotsford native and professional golfer, James always possessed an entrepreneurial spirit and head for business. He left the links in 2008, admitting he lost the love for the game. That same year he founded Kikkor Golf, making golf shoes and apparel before the idea for the hypercool sneakers spawned.
Six Hundred Four opened in Gastown in December 2016, positioned as part retail — part gallery, a concept James envisioned by marrying both worlds in one space to create the "Sneaker Gallery."
"The layout and the storage system works a little like an IKEA," says James. "The natural flow is to walk this loop where you see all the art and the shoes that correlates with each piece, and then ending at the big shoe wall, which has everything you just looked at, consolidated with all the options."
