Rock Paper Scissors

I usually do most, if not all, of my shoe shopping online these days but if I do need to pick up a shoe I can’t find online there’s a good chance the guys here will have it or know where to get it. It’s also refreshing to not have to deal with the mall and the crowds! Service is always on point and courteous as well.
The selection is based more on quality over quantity — so if you’re looking for an extensive catalog of kicks you’re probably in the wrong shop. What you will find are specific releases, local apparel/​art, and a handful of other accessories (watches, etc.)

I stopped by this shop a while back when a friend of mine was visiting from CA. It’s a nice spot to hit up when you’re in the mood to buy some new kicks. The staff is friendly and helpful.
I like the look of the shop. Street boutique. Cute :)

This weekend was my son’s 14^th birthday and my bestie decided to let the boy pick out anything he wanted at RPS. Needless to say he was STOKED. I forget the gentleman’s name that was working that day (he has the really cute bulldog, Ghostface who is a sweetheart and absolutely adorable) but even though he was working ALONE, he cheerfully grabbed sizes for my son to try on. You know 14 yr olds gotta try everything to make sure they get JUST.THE.RIGHT.SHOE. At any rate, he was super helpful, friendly even throwing in a lil extra gift for the boy’s birthday. I would much rather spend money here than at Champs or Foot Locker if ONLY because the customer service is ON POINT! When I was shopping for myself a year or so ago I did notice a much larger selection at the time for women but either way, love this store and the concept and we’ll always be fans and shop here.

Are you a fan of sneakers? Come here for a great selection of some hard-​to-​find shoes. Not the biggest shop in the world but the sales people are friendly and I’m sure they could place an order for a shoe if they didn’t have what you were looking for in stock.
The décor here is really cool and I loved the mural on the wall.

When I needed to replace my trusty broke-​down new balances, I decided I would stick to the CapHill neighborhood and support the local bidnesses. So, my choices appeared to be skate shoes (mostly of the nike brand) from 35thNorth or Goods and Jordans and other nikes from this store RPS. I found the shopkeepers at all three locations to be very friendly and 35thNorth and RPS actually recommended each other when I told them I was looking for shoes in the ‘hood. Anyway, after visiting RPS the first time, I knew I would buy shoes here for two reasons:
1) they had a more diverse selection of brands and shoes than the skate shops, and
2) the owner is a really nice dude and didn’t get irritated even though I asked about 300 questions.
Replacing my favorite kicks was a major choice, so I visited RPS quite a few times on my lunch hours and noticed something: at first glance the store seemed to cater mostly to basketball shoe wearers (they carry nike Air Jordan collectors editions and crazy colors, etc.) and hipsters (lots of chuck taylors/​skate shoe variations in dark colors)…but as I looked around at the selections it was clear that there was something for everybody, and the shoes on the wall were very carefully selected by that nice owner dude. There were just a very few hiking boot-​type shoes… but they were badass looking. There were just a few pairs of true running shoes… but there were both traditional performance nikes and more stylish retro type sneakers. I could sense a personal style from the owner that clearly overlapped my own, even if only a little bit. Thats a nice feeling when I am trusting this store to replace my primary mode of transportation!
Well, this narrative review can skip to the happy ending where I got a pair of super-​shoes for less than I budgeted and they are extremely comfortable. If you live on Capitol Hill or go there to shop, I highly recommend walking up the hill to RPS to look at their shoes and then hitting the custard shop next door. (If you prefer to let your browser to the walking, this is their ‘new releases’ blog:
.)

Great experience all around. Happy teenager, good price, nice selection, owner is a great guy. Fun place to visit and buy shoes.

RPS has a fantastic selection for someone like me that just likes good looking shoes and couldn’t care less about super limited releases. I would rather spend $ 400+ on guns or something haha. Frankly, I’ll always prefer boutique/​mom and pop type spots over places like Finish Line, Foot Locker or even worse grey market storefronts. I appreciate their pretty frequent sales as well as the staff here being super cool and not condescending towards this casual sneaker appreciator. They actually will talk to you here when you come in even if it appears you’re just window shopping or wasting time and not act like you aren’t even there until you for sure are going to buy something. I left with a couple pairs of Jordans on my first visit and I will be back for all my future Nike needs.

Whenever, I’m in Seattle. I always make it a mission to always stop by this shop and scoop up a pair of kicks. The staff is always courteous and helpful and a couple of times I’ve been there, I’ve been given a free honest tea or energy drink! How many sneaker shops that you know hook up customers with free drinks or anything for the matter? The place always has really dope art on the walls from canvasses to spray paint murals. And they have a great selection of inexpensive to expensive kicks. But the most important part about my experience going to this sneaker shop is that they have GREAT customer service!!! I recommend this place!

I really know very little about shoes but if I wanted to I know the peeps of RPS could and would shed some light for me… I was there for a totally different reason my mad respect for the art of local artist Enfu which is plastered around the place. You may have seen his bumper stickers stuck on things around the city or picked up one of his grocery bags from Uwajimaya, but his art is extremely wicked in this shop.
So I go in, expecting to feel really strange at a nice shoe store wearing my tread about the city shoes and was surprisingly greeted by nice staff who were more than cool with my interest in looking at the art. Way to go guys, I may actually return to ask about shoes and I never would have expected that considering that I really had no interest in upscale «kicks» until I entered the store.
Missing a star for the parking situation, which will most likely cause people to put their car in «the danger zone» of the Bank of America parking lot nearby… but it is what it is.
Psst, want more Enfu check out:

Hmm — not sure why there’s so much hating on this shop. No, you won’t find Tier-​0 releases here and it’s not the biggest selection I’ve ever seen, but there’s a respectable collection of Jordans, AF1s, Air Maxes. It probably has the best selection of junior/​toddler kicks (for the sneakerhead parents or those looking for something to hang in the mirror) and women’s kicks (for the ladies and the fellas lucky enough to fit ladies sizes) I’ve seen (along with Sneaker City). They also have a pretty solid collection of apparel from the matching Nike shirts, KiksTyo and Staple.
If you’re a hypebeast that depends on blogs to tell you want to wear or can’t wear GRs simply because they are GRs, drag your babynuts down the street and go camp out somewhere else.
What makes this a première sneakershop in my opinion is the customer service. This place is on-​par with Goliath in Harlem in terms of service and inviting atmosphere. The guys here are chill as hell and I could have easily killed an hour in here talking shop with them. Free Gatorades and energy drinks while I shop? Yes, please! The fellas also hooked me up with a discount card for 10 — 15% off my next purchase.
Their blog (
) is frequently updated with new releases and the owner doesn’t ‘hold back’ stock for himself or buddies.
Although I’m not from Seattle, if I lived here I would make all my purchases through these guys if I could. If you’re a travelling sneakerhead like I am, you know there’s sneaker shops that tourists/​hypebeasts go to and then there’s sneaker joints the locals go to – RPS definitely is the latter.

This is a pretty cool and chill sneaker spot. The staff is friendly and not the snob type. They have good sales too, especially on Black Fridays, 50% off! They will have releases that the local malls do not get. This spot is mostly for Nike and Jordans heads, not much of any other brands. Looking forward to see how this store grows.

Not the biggest selection, but has a great and helpful staff. Picked up some Jordan VI Olympics last time I was there. I like the staff and atmosphere better than at Goods.

Not much to say. Driving up to RPS, I thought it was a Finishline or a Footlocker in the middle of nowhere.
Selection is just run of the mill. Nothing special and kind of sad when compared to Goods. Don’t think there’s much to get here. Maybe some Stones Throw tees I guess and Kiks-​Tyo, but besides that there is nothing else.

From the Get-​Go; even under new management/​ownership, and changing the name this shop has always been weak. Even since it was named «Seattle Retro Shoe Store» from the begining. Sure this store has a variety of shoes that «Finish Line» or any other mall retail stores don’t have. But they don’t carry HEAT. And what I mean by that is majority of what they sell are all GENERAL RELEASES. They never have any LIMITED shoes. The prices are ok, and majority of the time you can always just wait for their sales, up to 50% off. It doesn’t have that amazing feeling that GOODS on pike brings once you walk in. Everytime I walk in, Im not looking to be surprised or amazed by their selection, but dissapointed.

One of the best shoe selections I’ve seen so far in Seattle. Many limited editions and great selection, but could do more. Not a lot of apparel with the shoes (would be better if they brought in more BAPE and BAPE apparel, even though it is such a limited market). They’ve got a lot of space that is unused. They’re website is great at keeping you updated and they’re conveniently located.

If you are a Sneaker Collector or covet limited edition designs then this is a great place to visit. They are always updating their stock with fresh sneaks. Thanks for adding some cool kicks to Seattle’s merch culture!
As for the previous review, who the heck cares about the vinyl signage on the window when they provide you with the rarest, hard to find shoe models on the market…