Vans, noted for its iconic sneakers, has long been deeply involved in the music community. All indie music fans will certainly recognize the name of the long-running Vans Warped tour, which showcased punk, rap and indie acts, both stars and up-and-comers.
Now it’s got a program called Foot the Bill to help out the small independent venues that give acts such as those that played the many Warped tours their start, as well as adjacent businesses such as galleries, community centers, skate shops and restaurants. Each business creates and promotes its own unique sneaker and t-shirt design; it receives the net proceeds from the sales.
Among the businesses chosen for the program is Cleveland Heights’ Grog Shop. The sneakers and t-shirts feature a design by Cleveland poster/flyer artist Jake Kelly whose work is has been a mainstay of Grog Shop promotion for years. Vans will produce up to 1,000 pairs of sneakers and 250 limited-edition t-shirts of the design.
“COVID has shuttered the club for over a year, so we will use funding from the program to provide working wage opportunities to musicians around the country,” says the Grog Shop in its pitch to the program. ‘The Grog Shop has been a launching pad to countless bands over the years and we hope to use the much appreciated funding to continue our path to promote music of all kinds for all people.”
To learn more, see the designs and order, go to vans.com/footthebill/grog.
Cleveland, OH 44106