Claima Stories with Bimma Claima

Ian Williams shares story about fostering community through dope coffee
Ian Williams, owner of Deadstock Coffee, has such an inspiring story. Born in Newport News, VA. The child of a drug and alcohol counselor, Ian had a childhood just like any other kid, despite  growing  up in a rough area, but fell in love with sneakers from watching the local corner boys flaunting what they had, but always stayed on the straight and narrow. At the age of 9, his father had passed and Ian moved to Portland to live with his brother.
The culture shock was very real, it was first time living in a house, first time seeing tree lined streets and it was his first time seeing people that didn’t look like him. Ian found solace in basketball, despite being a very, very, very undersized center. But basketball would be his true entry point into having a love of sneakers; his first pair of course was VA legend Allen Iverson’s Questions. Which then would evolve into a love of And-1 the shows and the basketball mixtapes. 
As his interest in sneakers and basketball was strong, Ian’s interest in school wasn’t, later finding out as an adult he had undiagnosed ADD. Ian used clowning in school as a defense mechanism. Right before his senior year, Ian learned that he needed to retake 8 classes. Despite trying to make up these classes, Ian couldn’t make them all up and didn’t graduate high school. After school, Ian started selling cars and although he wasn’t very knowledgeable in cars or finance, he knew exactly how to assess and connect with people.  After quitting his job in 2005, he went back to community college.  
Ian never had aspirations to work at Nike, but the little bit of money he did have, he was buying sneakers. So many sneakers that he had to move back home. Ian got plenty of odd jobs with the company from working retail at the Nike Employee Store to literally making the airbags that go into the shoes to even being a janitor on campus. With a lot of hustle, knowledge and gumption, Ian would get a job at the campus as a Footwear developer where he’d work on a dunk that was released in 2010.
About Claima Stories with Bimma:
Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers. Featuring Melody Ehsani, Jeff Staple, and James Whitner. Listen and Subscribe now.
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Ian Williams shares story about Deadstock Coffee origins
About Claima Stories with Bimma:
Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers. Featuring Melody Ehsani, Jeff Staple, and James Whitner. Listen and Subscribe now.
Subscribe: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claimastories/Twitter: https://twitter.com/claimastories

Andy Nguyen is co-founder of Afters Ice Cream, Matte Black Coffee, and many more restaurant ventures; he’s sort of something of a serial entrepreneur, his journey includes everything from real estate to streetwear to food. Born in Orange County, California, Andy grew up in Little Saigon, the second largest Vietnamese population after Vietnam. In the 90s, he was a victim of bullying and spent a lot of his freshman and sophomore year skipping school and was eventually kicked out for poor performance. 
Andy maintained a determined spirit and would later go into real estate. Working out of his parent’s garage, he was making really good money, but he wasn’t passionate about it. Inspired by a friend, Andy decided to jump head first into the streetwear business. 
He would go on to create a streetwear brand that was carried by Zumies, Karmaloop and other online retailers along with a blog that helped create a connection with the consumer and curated the interests of Andy and his crew. Kendrick, ASAP Rocky, and many other artists were supporters of the brand that he’d eventually sell in 2015 to start Afters Ice Cream, a restaurant sensation now with 27 locations on the West Coast.\
About Claima Stories with Bimma:
Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers. Featuring Melody Ehsani, Jeff Staple, and James Whitner. Listen and Subscribe now.
Subscribe: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claimastories/Twitter: https://twitter.com/claimastories

Andy Nguyen shares story about how they found the first Afters Ice Cream location.
About Claima Stories with Bimma:
Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers. Featuring Melody Ehsani, Jeff Staple, and James Whitner. Listen and Subscribe now.
Subscribe: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claimastories/Twitter: https://twitter.com/claimastories

Alejandro Rodriguez, founder and creative director of BTFL, who has lived a life that would make most fashion heads envious. Born and raised in LA, the son of an entrepreneur who worked his way from washer to owner. Alejandro grew up watching people running their own businesses, but he wasn’t necessarily interested in the family business. 
Baseball and fashion always held his attention, until he quit the sport to study art at his mother’s encouragement. That encouragement to express himself through art developed in the clothes he wears, and while still in high school, he ended up collaborating with the certified diamond singer Usher, leading to a pretty successful sneaker customization  business.
After graduating, and the interest in painted sneakers declining, Alejandro moved to New Jersey where he learned more about the business of fashion. After a short stint, he returned home for work and his design jobs would evolve into graphic design. Yep, if you remember Ed Hardy and Affliction, you can blame Alejandro for that. But all he wanted to do was his own thing.  
So he decided to start a clothing brand called Beautiful Ful, inspired by a line from the Movie Great Gatsby. The very next year, he would open a brick and mortar location. His vision and creativity would later shift, leading Alejandro to discontinue the first iteration of the brand. He was in need of inspiration. After a reset and decision to be true to himself,  Alejandro returned with BTFL, focused on simplicity and not following the hype.
About Claima Stories with Bimma:
Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers. Featuring Melody Ehsani, Jeff Staple, and James Whitner. Listen and Subscribe now. 
Subscribe: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claimastories/Twitter: https://twitter.com/claimastories

Alejandro Rodriguez shares story about designing shoes for Usher.
About Claima Stories with Bimma:
Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers. Featuring Melody Ehsani, Jeff Staple, and James Whitner. Listen and Subscribe now.
Subscribe: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claimastories/Twitter: https://twitter.com/claimastories