Marcus Sharf Brings Fresh Kicks to Miami

Owner, Hÿp Miami

As the founder of “futuristic” sneaker store HŸP Miami, University of Miami sophomore Marcus Sharf unloads anywhere from two to 100 sneaker boxes daily into his Coconut Grove shop. Sharf began selling shoes in 2017 and opened a warehouse in his hometown of Furlong, Pennsylvania in 2021. Instead of selling on eBay or other online sales platforms, he decided to build relationships with shoe retailers, and now targets his fellow students as customers who are looking for a combination of variety and affordability in the sneaker market. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship.

Latest Achievement

The 19-year-old student opened HŸP Miami last August at 3208 Grand Ave. with his business partner, Yuriy Kolesnyk. The store earns nearly $100,000 in monthly revenue and stocks all the latest high-end customer pleasers — Air Jordans, Yeezys, and New Balances — as well as designer clothing and accessories. The sneaker and streetwear store’s name is pronounced “hype,” named after the “hypebeast” sneaker and fashion market that has propelled the business. Sharf and Kolesnyk are already looking to expand to a larger retail space.

What He Says

“I definitely have, over time, established a lot of connections that allow me to purchase products — the hottest stuff that’s available at certain prices,” says the UM student. “So, I’m able to source that, either from the secondary market or from the retailers themselves sometimes. All sneakers are pretty accessible… It just depends on how much of a premium you have to pay. I’d rather pay more of a premium to get the product here and make less of a profit just to have the variety for the customers.”