BOONE, N.C. — A 13-year-old has beat the odds during a pandemic and opened his own shoe store. Kicks on King is a place people can buy, sell, and trade shoes in Boone.

What You Need To Know

  • A 13-year-old in Boone opened a shoe store

  • Kicks on King was opened by the grandson of Tommy Sofield

  • Cooper Greene has seen the worst of the pandemic as his father died just weeks ago

  • He has found a way to turn his business into a fun, interactive adventure

The owner, Cooper Greene, says he has always had a love for shoes and wanted to do something with it. Greene says the idea started because of his grandfather's success when he was young as well.

Greene's grandfather, Tommy Sofield, is a legend in the Boone area, and Cooper says he is working to make him proud.

But he's not the only person Greene is working hard for. His father, Josh Greene died just weeks ago from COVID-19, and Cooper Greene says he knows he is looking down on him.

The young entrepreneur is going to school full-time and building his business. He says he is taking his love for shoes and turning it into a dream come true.

"Sometimes people ask me if I get stressed at all. Really, I just love it. I like driving myself to be a better person and do better things," Greene says.

Cooper has also added entertainment to the store. Patrons can shoot hoops for a discount or play him in ping pong.