Nike swooshes reflect off of the white and orange tiles of the Grant High School hallways. Adidas logos appear on every other shoe, and Puma is unavoidable when walking through the school. Freshman Logan Going isn’t just surrounded by shoes at school and on the streets, but at home as well — shoes laying around the floor of his room, hanging on his walls and spilling out of his closet.

His collection of shoes started when Going began buying and selling used shoes at the age of 13. The process soon led him to spend large amounts of money on shoes, making YouTube videos about his process and starting a resale business.

Many teenagers are caught up with brand names and the physical appearances of their clothes. Because of this, Generation Z kids in particular are driving the dramatic growth of the sneaker industry, spending $21 billion on footwear in 2014 — a six percent increase from the year prior — with the biggest growth seen in shoes being over $100.

But for others like Going, sneakers are no longer just a way to express oneself. “A lot of people just wear cool shoes to get more popularity just because of the brands and stuff they wear,” says Going. “That’s the part that I don’t like about it, because it doesn’t matter how expensive your shoes are and what shoes you’re wearing.”

Instead, Going has found a deep appreciation for the sneakers that others simply grab on the way out the door.

According to SportsOneSource, the international sneaker market has grown by more than 40 percent since 2004 to an estimated $55 billion. In 2015 alone, the athletic footwear industry in the US grew by eight percent, generating $17.2 billion in sales, according to the National Purchase Diary Panel Group.

Going has contributed to this international growth through his business, in which he sells sneakers to individuals all over the country as well as internationally. “Through eBay, I sold some (shoes) to New York and Canada,” says Going. “Some people have asked if I could ship to the Dominican Republic.”

As someone who is both interested in shoes and business, Going decided to participate in this upcoming market, starting in seventh grade with the use of “Beater Boxes”— boxes of “beaters” or used shoes — from Sole Supremacy, a company that buys sneaker collections from people and resells the shoes in bulk.

Now, Going shares his love for shoes with the 5,000 subscribers he has amassed on YouTube, creating videos of himself opening Beater Boxes.

“It’s cool how he (is) making money and knowing that 100 thousand people have watched his video(s),” says Going’s long time childhood friend, Luke Winkler. “I think he will go far because he is innovative and the money he makes from the boxes, he reinvests.”

The process of selling shoes and making videos has become therapeutic and introspective for Going. “The whole process of filming, selling and editing is almost like a meditation,” he says. “I can just clear my mind and not worry about anything.”

Born Oct. 28, 2002 to Tammy and Mark Going, Logan Going was an active child who enjoyed all sports, but especially basketball and football.

Because of his interest in the TV show “Ben 10,” Going started to collect figurines from the show. While he wasn’t collecting shoes yet, Going’s mother contends that his current shoe business is successful because of his history of collecting. “At age three or four, he started collecting Ben 10’s and he became obsessed,” says Tammy Going. “I think it is in his blood to do business.”

At Laurelhurst Elementary School, Going’s interest in collecting started growing outside of the figurine collection to shoes, when he found that kids on his football team had what seemed like a lot of shoes.

Going and his teammates created a YouTube channel that reviewed new shoes. But they soon were forced to stop because they did not have the money to get all of the new shoes they wanted to review.

During a family birthday party with his cousins in 2013, Going noticed their Air Jordan 13 Grey Toe sneakers. He was astonished to learn they had spent $250 per pair on sneakers. Going couldn’t imagine paying that much. “I went on YouTube and saw that there was a whole business for (selling shoes),” he says.

On YouTube, Going found videos of teenagers restoring and fixing up used shoes to sell. But, Going didn’t care much for the shoes; he saw it more as a business opportunity. “First shoes I got were Air Jordan 4 in red. I got them for 25 bucks and I spent a solid six hours trying to clean them up and doing everything I could to restore them,” says Going. “I ended up selling them for 60.”

While he enjoyed the process of restoring the shoes, he realized he could be more efficient with Beater Boxes. “I really enjoyed restoring them at first,” says Logan. “But then it started getting tiring. So much work for such little pay off. But then I got into Beater Boxes, I saw how much money people were making and saw that there were high schoolers doing it too.”

Sole Supremacy buys sneaker collections in bulk from sneakerheads and carries a regular stock of new sneakers, which it sells online and in-store. Sole Supremacy sells thoroughly-used shoes in “beater boxes,” where sneakerheads can get several pairs of used shoes for one flat price after buying a membership.

But memberships have sold out for those who want to get in on the “beater boxes.” And Sole Supremacy founder and owner, Derek Lew, has a clear reason for this. “I think starting before the hype and because we have been in this ‘game’ for so long, I think that’s just a competitive edge where people know our name and know to go to us.”

Going had sold a few sneakers from Beater Boxes before he found others on YouTube creating videos about the surprise sneakers in the box. “I bought my first (Beater Box) in eighth grade history class. I did all my research and made sure they were legit because it is kind of hard when you are buying them for 500 (dollars) and you’re not exactly sure what you’re doing,” says Going. “I got my own PayPal account with my saved money from birthdays and stuff that I never spent…  and I came home and bought a 500 dollar box of shoes and I was planning on reselling them.”

At first Going’s parent’s weren’t so fond of the idea. But because of their good relationship and notion of learning from mistakes, they supported him. “I trusted him, but also I thought because it was his own money that it would be a good way to learn,” says Tammy Going. “You have to learn lessons on your own. So I thought he would either learn his lesson or take off.”

But as soon as Going sold all of the shoes he received from each Beater Box, he was much happier and proud that he did something for himself to make money. “Once I got my first box I was half excited and half nervous,” says Going. “Once I broke even with the box price and still had two or three shoes left I was very relieved knowing it was successful.”

“He really works hard,” says Tammy Going.  “I think it has taught him to balance, and he uses his time wisely. It has given him independence financially as well.”

Going thought that his channel would go nowhere. “I didn’t think YouTube would go anywhere, but now I have about five thousand subscribers,” Going says. “But I didn’t start YouTube for the money, it was more about the passion.”

Once Going hit a thousand subscribers on his channel, he became less embarrassed about what he was doing. “I thought (my friends) would make fun of me and roast me for it,” says Going. “But their reaction was different than I expected.”

Winkler says “At first when I heard about the YouTube channel I thought it was a little funny… but then I found out he had like five thousand subscribers and I thought it was pretty cool.”

The YouTube channel has contributed to Going’s recent rise in sales. He has sold to individuals around the country and Canada, and even had individuals from Puerto Rico asking, but shipping is too expensive for Going.

Having created videos with as much as 145 thousand views, shoes signed by Macklemore, basketball player Meyers Leonard and Jordan designer Tinker Hatfield, Going marks his channel and business as successful. But he is not done. “I now get Beater Boxes once every other week,” says Going. “I make anywhere from 200-400 dollars per box.”

Throughout this business adventure, Going says he has become less materialistic and has realized just how crazy it is to spend large money on brand names. “I would have bought way more shoes that I liked…  I would wear them a couple times and often sell them after for sometimes more than I paid for them,” says Going. “Now I have narrowed my personal sneaker rotation down to around 10 that I really like.”

Going has no interest in paying a large amount for a piece of clothing. Instead, his outfits revolve around his shoes. “To me it’s even crazier than buying shoes when people are paying 200 bucks for a t-shirt,” says Going. “I would never pay more than 50 bucks for a t-shirt,” says Going. “I know there’s a market for clothing but I’m just not really into it. I honestly get most of my clothing from thrift stores because I like searching for cool pieces and getting good deals.”

With his busy life filled with his business, making YouTube videos, and keeping up with school, Going finds his time with sneakers calming. “I would say it is therapeutic but I also just enjoy the shoes so much,” says Going. “You never know what you’re going to get and I like that most with the Beater Boxes. It’s kind of like meditation.”

On Going’s recent entrepreneurship on YouTube, his mother, Tammy Going says, “I think I expected it to be a phase but it isn’t a phase anymore.”

In his room over 50 pairs of shoes are piled on the floor, stacked in the closet, placed on dressers and balanced on the corners of walls. Logan Going runs from school to track and family events. All the while, a new Beater Box sits on his bed waiting to be opened. “I usually have to delay my gratification, sometimes I need to wait to open a box because I don’t have time to film,” says Going. “I am always pretty excited, it never dies, it feels like it’s Christmas morning everytime I open a box. So I will just have a box with no idea what’s in it, sitting in my room.”

Going doesn’t just work on his resale business and make videos for himself. He continues his business because of the enjoyment that it brings to his viewers. But more than this, Going wants to lead by example and teach other students to chase their intuition. “Don’t be afraid to try your own thing, like I did with my Youtube channel,” says Going. “Always try something new. You never know what will lead you to more opportunities.”