IRENA KACI

Expect to be warmly greeted by the effortlessly friendly Vaughn Slowaski, when walking into Scoop Drip, on 140 Millbury Street in Worcester. Slowaski, Scoop Drip’s proprietor, followed his passion for sneakers when he opened Scoop Drip in 2020. “We had support right away,” says Slowaski, “I could not be more grateful.”

In talking to Slowaski, his humility is as apparent as it is charming. He credits his family, friends, and community with his success. When I ask him if he’s collaborating with others, he explains that he brought his brother Andrew, and a good friend and local artist known as Ariez, on as business associates.

In the early 2010s, Slowaski was acquiring sneakers as a collector of fashionable apparel. It wasn’t until his cousin Tirell sold a pair of Lebron “South Beach” sneakers for almost eight times more than retail value, that Slowaski even considered the possibility that his hobby could turn into his livelihood.
Now Vaughn’s main challenge is having his inventory keep up with demand. Thanks to events like SNEARCON, and Boston’s Got Sole, the sneaker collecting community has grown right along with Slowaski’s generation. Slowaski estimates one out of every five sneakers in Scoop Drip are customer trade-ins. Fellow sneakerheads can bring their sneakers in for a store credit or cash, while customers can expect a constant stream of new stock.

This has made being an integral part of the community, as Slowaski has been, a huge advantage to building this business. “I’ve been doing this for so long that I was doing it as a wardrobe choice,” Slowaski tells me, meaning of course, that it has now become so much more than that.
But there are, of course, challenges. For one thing, Slowaski says the supply chain issues that have been plaguing business everywhere, have all but eliminated the cool snacks side of the business. “Not everyone is into sneakers,” Slowaski says. “And I’d like to have something to offer to everyone who walks through those doors, even if they’re just coming along for the ride. I used to love offering them unique snacks from all over the world. But I’ll get it going again someday.”

What is Worcester’s sneaker king wearing? Slowaski looks for comfort with a touch of nostalgia. His current favorite models, like Air Max 90, 95, and 98, were also his prized sneakers when he was teenger. As for the sneaker that got away, Slowaski is looking forward to an eventual re-release of Black Cat Jordan 3’s. “Those were something I had as a teenager,” Slowaski says, “but they haven’t been re-released since 2009.” In the meantime, Jordan Silhouette and Jordan 3’s are suitable replacements.
While trends for the future are harder to predict than ever, Slowaski lists Yeezy’s Nike Dunks as one of his most popular products. Kanye West first partnered with Nike in 2009, and moved on to work with Adidas in 2015. The cost of Yeezy’s can range from $250 to upwards of $1000, but they’re a status symbol that is also super comfortable.

Slowaski points out that any of the Nike collaborations created by the late designer Virgil Abloh, such as Air Jordan 1’s, are hot items. Abloh, who began his career as Kanye West’s creative consultant, combined streetwear with high fashion to leave a groundbreaking legacy behind – as well as super exclusive sneakers.

Scoop Drip customers can even take sneaker designing into their own hands with Angelus acrylic leather paint, a trend that grew in popularity over 2020 and 2021 during the Covid pandemic. Slowaski suggests deglossing a pair of Air Force 1’s and creating your own custom sneakers. Anyone can dream up their own one of a kind designs with Scoop Drip’s massive amount of Angelus Paints, which can be used on any leather or canvas sneakers.

The bottom line is, you don’t have to be a sneakerhead to feel welcome at Scoop Drip. Slowaski and his close knit staff are more than happy to walk you through the sneaker buying process. Stop by to trade in your old Dunks or check out their ever changing inventory, and support a local business run by one of Worcester’s own.