Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 15/02) - Keeping Yellowknife in shoes means John Hamilton and Yannick Larocque have to stay on their toes

"We don't have the kind of floor space that you have in the south," said Hamilton, who manages Bata-Athletes World in the Centre Square Mall with Larocque, his assistant.

That means less space to hold onto slightly older, slightly cheaper pairs of cross-trainers.

Still, the duo are managing one of the top 50 outlets in the country, mostly by moving lots of expensive stock, quickly.

"We're in the process right now," said Larocque, of moving all the old stock out and putting spanking new shoes onto the shelves.

The big selling items this season are basketball shoes endorsed by NBA stars Tracy McGrady and Alan Iverson.

"The lower-end Nikes and the big name brands are moving fast," said Larocque.

While the store is mostly tidy, a small area near the stock room looks like a twister struck.

New shoes are stacked six and seven boxes high, forming a narrow corridor .

Hamilton, 27, moved to Yellowknife four years ago from the Maritimes, while the 19-year-old Larocque arrived five years ago from Hull, Que.

Both say Raven Mad Daze and Super Soccer are their busiest times at the Centre Square Mall. "I love working Raven Mad Daze," said Hamilton.

"You get to meet so many people," chimes in Larocque.

Hamilton celebrated his birthday recently, but there's one item he was definitely NOT looking for.

"I'd kill my mom if she sent me shoes for my birthday," he laughed.