Justin Bieber performed on NBC’s “Today” at Rockefeller Center Monday.   He is a cute young Canadian boy with lots of cute young girls cheering for him.

He is wearing Vans sk8 mid top.  About $50 from Vans.com.

In 1966’s a group of men started manufacturing athletic shoes in southern California then sold them directly to the consumers.  Vans offered three styles, priced from $2.49 to $4.99, but on the day the first store opened for business, the company only made display models. The store racks were filled with empty boxes. Nevertheless, 12 customers came into the store and chose the colors and styles they wanted. The customers were asked to come back in the afternoon, while James Van Doren and Gordy Lee rushed to the factory to make their shoes.

When the customers returned to pick up the shoes, Van Doren and Lee realized that they had no money available to make change. The customers were given the shoes and asked to return the next day to pay for them.  All 12 customers did.  In 1982 a movie titled  Fast Times at Ridgemont High featured Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn)  wearing a pair.  It made a star of both the shoes and Sean Penn.  If you were a teenager in the late 1980’s you probably had a pair.  They are still a favorite shoe of teens and tweens.

Today you can go Vans.com online to customize your shoes by choosing the style, the pattern and color of ten parts of the shoe.  The cost is $60 to $70.  They are a great shoe.