SALT LAKE CITY — From a hobby to a full-blown career. Jonathon Millar is a Utah born-and-raised artist who custom designs, paints and creates one-of-a-kind sneakers.
Millar's company, JSM 801 Customs, run by him and his wife, will be part of NBA All-Star Weekend with a pop-up shop at The Gateway, giving the couple a chance to shine like the players on the court.
"When I first started painting it was on my kitchen table. Then building the basement out. I outgrew it within a year," explained Millar. "I’m in my garage now. Completely built out just to do custom sneakers."
Millar's work started with a passion.
"I couldn’t afford the sneakers I really wanted. so painting them was the next best option," he said.
And that passion turned into a reality.
"I never thought that this would be a situation where people wanted me to paint their sneakers."
Millar is now working with brands and people that he could only dream of when he first started.
"To be working with Nike at one of the events for All-Star Weekend and the NBA is more than a dream come true. It’s taken me 15 years to get it right and with the help with my wife. I’m finally where I need to be," Millar shared.
Jonathon‘s wife, Linda, is the operator behind the artist
"I like to call it an organized chaos, because I do love my daily planners. I would tell him we’ve got to have our morning meetings, Just like in the corporate world, we just have to be on the same page," Linda said. "We have to go through what needs to be done for the day and for the week so that way I can plan and craft out what’s going to happen."
It was Linda who helped her husband overcome a harsh truth about a medical condition.
"I am color blind, I can’t see certain shades past a certain point, they all look darkened to me, and my wife supported me and was like, 'We got to get this out in the open.'" he shared.
It's a color deficiency that doesn’t stop people from falling in love with her JSM Customs
Michael McHenry
"There’s just something about his art, his finishes. Like, you can tell a JSM Custom from 30 yards away. Like, he fills up the holes, he leaves no sanding marks, he’s very very particular in the things that he’s doing," explained Michael McHenry.
Linda is super proud of the work she and her husband have done.
"We both made a huge effort and sacrifice for him to be where he’s at right now and we couldn’t ask for anything more," she said. "This is just a huge opportunity and I’m left pretty speechless on it."
