Seth and Zac Longaker, the brother-duo behind Portland, Oregon shoe and apparel shop ODDBALL; go way back with Jacob.  I’m not sure what’s in the water, up there, but they’re both a few inches taller than Jacob – and he’s roughly six and a half feet tall!  And like most boys of this height, the Longaker brothers wear big shoes – in sizes larger than those stocked in most stores.

So, necessity being the mother of all invention, and sick of never being able to find any shoes remotely fashionable in their sizes, they figured “We need to invent a store.”  So, in February 2007, they hopped a plane for Vegas, and walked the floor of the WSA tradeshow (after registering as Buyers for a store they called “Oddball Shoe Company").  Now, having written a bunch of orders, they returned to Portland, they opened that store, and they called it ODDBALL.

It was slow going, at first.  Then toward the end of 2007, a group of basketball players from the Chicago Bulls came into the store.  They bought a bunch of shoes, and were so psyched about ODDBALL, they told their friends, and they told their friends, and, well, you know how that goes…   Before you could say “We love the NBA!” a reporter from The Oregonian had written a particularly glowing piece about the brothers and their store.  Shortly thereafter, they were contacted by a writer doing a story for the Wall Street Journal, which turned into another article, which led to a profile in People, and a segment on NBC’s Today.

Now, ODDBALL has become a formidable footwear force, known to those with les grands pieds as well as shoe brands such as Vans, Converse, PF Flyer, UGG® Australia, and Nike (it is Portland, after all).  Furthermore, Seth and Zac have developed a line of King-sized socks, and a signature line of Tall-sized apparel, as well as a line of shoe-inserts (to go with the socks), and a line of hats.

In the past few weeks, alone, the brothers have received franchise requests from such faraway lands as South Africa, Australia, Norway, and New York.  No matter where they open, though, you can be sure that it will reflect the high level of personal service and attention to detail upon which ODDBALL and the Longaker boys pride themselves.

In the words of Seth Longaker, “We have started the revolution and now we just need to find more people to join.”  True dat!

ODDBALL
Portland, OR
Click HERE for more info

Get into it!