On Friday, November 18, 2021, Mike Sala, the founder of Solepack, presented a Wu-Tang-inspired collaboration "City Dwellers" bag, available for purchase at Richmond Hood Co., a lifestyle boutique in West Brighton. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

Staten Island, New York-The concept seems simple. A backpack accessory that keeps dirty shoes away from the clean inner compartment of the bag; all of these do not burden the back and are still stylish. It's simple, right?

The problem is that the product does not exist at all. Until Solepack appears.

In the early 1990s, after the academic basketball game at Monsignor Farrell, Mike Sala was pursuing a doctorate in physiotherapy at New York University, hoping to continue playing in a casual way to stay in shape.

Between textbooks, extra clothes, and the sneakers he must carry with him, Sarah quickly ran out of space in her backpack during her daily commute from Grasmere’s childhood home to Greenwich Village. Taking into account the field he chose, the strained back with an oversized backpack is definitely a bad visual effect. There must be a better way.

"I remember going to all these stores, asking them if there is a product that separates my sneakers from my bag, and being constantly told,'No, the product does not exist,'" Sarah described.

Now in her 40s, Sarah still participates in the competition as much as possible. Sarah competes with his Staten Island Premier League team at the NABA Intercity Basketball Championship in National Harbor, Maryland, on September 1, 2019. (Advancing Staten Island / Jason Padron)

"I did some of my best thinking while commuting, I just had an'Aha!' One day at the moment on S79, I said I would do it myself," he described.

Little did he know that the journey he was about to embark on would be longer than the six-plus years of study he had done to pursue a Ph.D. and that it might be more difficult in some respects.

"I don't know what I'm doing. I don't have any design background, but I stumbled upon a concept that didn't exist."

"It was before the Internet era, so I remember looking for a patent attorney on AOL," Sarah said with a smile. After being rejected several times, he found a patent attorney in Minnesota to accept the job, and finally obtained the patent approval in 2005, nearly ten years later.

"At first I didn't even want to make this product, I just wanted to license it," he added.

"I just hold this idea and wait for these licensing companies to realize it. I came to the conclusion that if I want this to happen, I need to do it myself. I need to turn this idea into life."

"I was in graduate school at the time, and I was also working in hospitals and private clinics," Sarah described. "In any free time I will run back to the city to meet with small business manufacturers and pattern makers."

"A lot of people who knew me as a therapist told me,'You are a great therapist. Why not pursue that? He added." But part of me thinks this is my important mission. "

In 2010, after meeting a friend in the clothing industry, Sara contacted a manufacturer on Canal Street who cut out a prototype that was very similar to what would become the SP-1 model.

Original black SP-1. (Photo courtesy of Solepack.com)

"I remember sitting in my basement, holding the prototype in my hand, and getting goose bumps," Sara added. "I still get goose bumps when I think about it."

A few months later, the company launched its first product SP-1 in small batches, available in black or gray. Like he put it there, it quickly sold out.

This bag also attracted the attention of sports shoe fans such as Jam Master Jay of RUN-DMC, as well as publications such as Complex, Men's Health, Runner's World and SLAM magazine.

Tariq Zaid of Richmond Hood and Mike Sala of Solepack displayed some available products at Zaid’s West Brighton store on Friday, November 18, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Padron)

Sara knew he was doing something.

"Getting a joint signature from someone in the sneaker industry means a lot. It validates the journey for me and shows me that I'm on the right path."

Soon thereafter, Sala introduced two more staples to the Solepack series; the GRF shoelace bag combines his shoe transport bag with the portability of the belt bag, making it a popular choice in the running world, as well as the OMEGA backpack: 30 liter backpack with built-in connection for original SP-1 accessories.

In 2017, after countless letters and emails, Solepack finally caught the attention of NBALAB. The company described itself as a disruptive R&D incubator focused on innovative design, imaginative concepts, and strategic partnerships-the most cited What is noticeable is the cooperation with the NBA.

"I believe many people write to them," Sarah pointed out. "They eventually responded,'I think you have a great basketball-centric product that is good for both of our brands.' They basically signed it up there."

This partnership eventually led to the release of the NBALAB x SOLEPACK limited edition series, combining the work of street artist Billi Kid with the colors and logos of 16 NBA teams.

This popular product line has entered multiple NBA locker rooms and pop culture.

"The Sacramento Kings' Rijon Holmes, Harrison Barnes, Bobby Jackson and others shook one of our bags. Becoming an NBA fan in the 2000s was a very cool thing. We also have a few in the track and field world. An Olympian brought our stuff; people from New Jersey like Michael Cherry and sisters Barber, Me'Lisa and Miki. It’s so cool to be recognized by such athletes.”

A post shared by MikeSala (@solepack_mike)

"We even appeared in the Showtime series'the Chi'. I didn't know it was happening-a friend was watching it and told me about it. It depicts a child in a Catholic school who doesn't want to see a uniformed man on the streets of Chicago People, so he put his casual clothes and sneakers in our bag. Moments like this are cool because they are not artificial. They happen organically."

All of this is the motivation that Sara needs to transform from an essentially entrepreneurial part-time physiotherapist to a true part-time physiotherapist entrepreneur.

Sara is a frequent visitor to many local sports events.

He created custom packages for players in the Under the Lights Basketball League at Berry Homes and sponsored events held at the Ocean Breeze Track and Field and Sports Center.

Solepack can be found in many local events, especially in the basketball and running communities. Mike Sala (left) poses with organizers and participants at the Winthrop Beacon III Community Center in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Padron)

He also spent a lot of resources on giving gifts in numerous charitable activities throughout the city.

"This is really my overall view of Solepack," Sala added. "In the long run, we must give back to the society in a larger way."

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