A lone light bulb illuminates a fog of colors ranging from deep red to powder pink to cobalt blue that cloud a masked face. An almost completely immobile body hunches over a modest wooden desk. Dozens of acrylic shoe paint are neatly lined up on the surface. Hands contort to an airbrush after hours of painting a pair of Nike Huaraches. Eyes strain to create the perfect color combination.

Senior RJ Reid has embraced the entrepreneurial lifestyle by customizing shoes and designing his own brand called Blacksole. His business began when he was overcharged for a pair of custom Vans.

“I’ve loved shoes all my life,” Reid said. “I wanted a pair of custom made and a girl really tried to tax me for it. She charged me $200 for a pair of Vans. I thought to myself, ‘I could probably do that on my own.’ So I started researching, and I really got into it. That’s why I’m doing it now.”

Before he can use his creativity, Reid must strip the shoe back down to its base. This means he uses acetone to take off any paint previously on the shoe, then lets it dry for a few days. After that, he sprays a thin coat of paint, producing a seemingly brand new pair of shoes.

“There’s a lot that goes into [making customs],” Reid said. “Most people think that it’s just getting a pair of shoes and painting over the top of it, which it’s not at all. When I’m finished with the paint, I still have to put a cover on it so the paint won’t just scrape off because you wear them.”

From Nike’s Huaraches to Jordans to old school Adidas, Reid can restore and improve a range of brands and styles.  He spends about a week on each pair of shoes.

“Most people bring me their Jordans,” Reid said. “Mesh is sometimes kind of hard to fool with, but I can still do it. Just anything with leather I can put my craft into because that’s what the paint is for.”

The major advantage for customers is Reid’s affordable prices. His costs range from $40-50 for every pair of shoes and are returned after a week or two.

“I’m not really trying to kill anybody because I know we’re still high schoolers, so we’re on a budget,” Reid said. “Most of the customers love it. There’s not anybody in Texarkana that’s doing this, so it’s unique for them to own [a pair of] shoes that nobody has.”

Social media is the epicenter of Reid’s marketing. When he isn’t working, Reid posts pictures and tweets about his latest merchandise to increase his client base.

“[Twitter and Instagram] are probably my main sources of getting my word and stuff out,” Reid said. “I really just put myself out there. I posted a picture one time, and somebody was like ‘Ah, those are good, man. Do you do them for other people?’ I was like ‘Yeah, I can do that, just hit me up sometime.’”

Reid’s accounts are not only for gaining new customers, but also to converge ideas with other shoe enthusiasts.

“I follow a couple of [artists] on Instagram and Twitter,” Reid said. “I bounce ideas off them and they bounce ideas off me. We communicate like that, and that’s where I get my color schemes from.”

Even though Reid is still in the early stages of his business, his work hasn’t gone unnoticed. He plans to pursure his passion after high school.

“I think I can go far in this,” Reid said. “I’ve been up to places, and they ask me ‘Where do you get your shoes from?’ I tell them I did them myself, and they really seem to like it.”