GREENFIELD — While rural Franklin County might not be the first place one might envision a high-end sneaker shop, that didn’t stop Eli Vaillancourt, whose business started off on the right foot last month.

Filthy Kicks, based out of The Goods Pop-Up Shop at 357 Main St., celebrated its early success with a March 28 grand opening. The ribbon-cutting ceremony followed a soft opening the previous Monday that ushered in roughly $3,000 in first-week sales, according to Vaillancourt. The 20-year-old entrepreneur is hopeful that this foreshadows not only a thriving business, but a cultural shift in the region.

Vaillancourt, who grew up in Gardner, moved to Orange at the age of 18. There, he started selling shoes out of his home. He spent years delivering orders by car before enrolling in an entrepreneurship program at Greenfield Community College. Before long, his drive and preparedness separated him from his 10 classmates, according to Max Fripp, director of innovation and entrepreneurship at GCC.

“We think he has what we refer to as the ‘readiness’ to take this business he’s been working on for a couple years and grow it right here in Greenfield,” said Fripp, who manages the state grant that funds The Goods. The pop-up shop has featured a series of entrepreneurs since September. “In a dream world, this would become the full-time home of Filthy Kicks.”

Fripp and Vaillancourt see promise in Filthy Kicks due to its uniqueness in the region. There is a need for the store, Vaillancourt argued, due to the nearest similar businesses being in Holyoke, Springfield and Lancaster. He said locals, especially young people, have already expressed great excitement and relief that streetwear culture has made its way to Greenfield.

“I feel like the culture is just dead out here and they just are so happy that things are starting to come around,” he observed. “It’s just bringing life around here.”

“Filthy Kicks represents the new, fresh, young energy we need more of in Greenfield,” Mayor Roxann Wedegartner, who attended last week’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, said in a statement. “Businesses like this will complement our new skate park and will become a beacon for bringing more youth and younger shoppers to our downtown. I’m really excited to see where this new business goes and am thrilled to welcome Eli and his team to Greenfield.”

Vaillancourt feels Franklin County is well on its way in terms of a culture shift, noting that the younger generation locally is “very in-tune” with contemporary fashion.

“It’s starting to become a little city out here, I can tell,” he added. “Main Street is actually very active. [Urban culture] is starting to get out.”

Currently, Vaillancourt has more than 100 pairs of retro Air Jordans, Nike Dunks and other coveted collector favorites shelved at Filthy Kicks, with hundreds of others ready to be stocked. The store also carries streetwear staples, such as VLONE tees, Fear of God Essentials crewnecks and Supreme accessories.

Additionally, Filthy Kicks will buy both new and lightly worn sneakers, so long as they are popular within contemporary fashion. The shop will also buy clothes, accessories and even action figures.

Vaillancourt is receiving support from a new entrepreneur membership program operated by GCC, Greenspace CoWork and LaunchSpace, according to the city’s statement. The six-month “business accelerator program” currently engages 10 entrepreneurs from across Franklin County with funding from the Massachusetts Office of Housing and Economic Development’s Community One Stop for Growth program.

Rent and utility costs for the space will be supported by state grant funding through June, at which point Vaillancourt would be expected to pay landlord Isaac Mass, should he wish to maintain the storefront. Until then, the young business owner hopes to make his mark on the community’s like-minded youth.

“I hope we can inspire kids to do the right thing, to follow their goals,” he said. “To run with their passion. [Tell them], ‘Don’t fall off,’ and that they can be someone.”

Filthy Kicks is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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