From WhatMatters17.com
The best entrepreneurs take their passion and parlay that into a business. That’s exactly what Chris Holloway, CEO of House of Trade has done. Holloway turned his decades-long passion for buying and selling luxury sneakers into a brand new e-commerce platform that focuses on trading new and gently used sneakers - something that could only be done on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
House of Trade is a safer, more efficient way for sneakerheads to trade their sneakers with one another, eliminating risks surrounding personal safety and authentication issues. Through a simple process, House of Trade matches it’s users’ sneaker trades and requests and begins the process of making the trade. Once a match is made, traders send their sneakers to House of Trade for authentication, and House of Trade then sends the new sneakers to appropriate parties.
Holloway’s inspiration comes from the culture and community surrounding the sneaker industry. Check out House of Trade at houseoftradeinc.com.
House of Trade’s motto is “At the intersection of culture, community, and commerce.” What’s the meaning behind that?
Holloway: The meaning behind our motto is that we aren’t just trying to turn a profit but we want to be a staple community across the country -- as an organization that gives back to the community, builds up the community, and is part of the community.
There are a lot of sneaker resellers. How does House of Trade fill a gap within the sneaker resale space?
Holloway: The way we fill the gap within the sneaker resale space, is that we don’t resell. We’re bringing a new perspective on the resale landscape. It’s strictly trading which allows you to use your “closet currency” (sneakers or goods you already own) as the bartering tool in transaction.
What can House of Trade users expect from your platform?
Holloway: Users of the platform can expect an up-to-date and user friendly website, an app coming soon, and a variety of sneakers to choose from for trading purposes.
What inspires you everyday?
Holloway: The things that inspire me on a daily basis are my son, family, friends and just being able to give an opportunity to someone who wasn’t as fortunate as myself the chance to succeed and show people you really can do great things with some determination.
What are your future plans for House of Trade?
Holloway: The future plans for House of Trade in the immediate future are developing a mobile app and looking to enter a few tech accelerator programs. Long term goals are expansion; eventually we want to not just have sneakers up for trading but you’ll be able to trade anything from streetwear to watches, handbags and much more on our site.