This Florida Woman Is Going for the Guinness World Record With Her 733 Converse Sneakers

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If blogger Asami Shiba of Pink Kitten collects Jeffrey Campbell shoes and poker player Beth Shak collects Louboutins, retired teacher Penny Gold collects Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers.

She’s now up to a staggering 733 pairs and is gunning to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

Penny Gold surrounded by the more than 700 pairs of Converse sneakers she started collecting about 20 years agoPenny Gold surrounded by the more than 700 pairs of Converse sneakers she started collecting about 20 years ago

Most news reports call Penny Gold’s collection “crazy” or an “addiction” but here at Your Next Shoes, where shoe-collecting is the common hobby, we all know how normal Penny Gold is!

This is also the most relatable shoe closet we’ve ever featured here on our blog because Converse sneakers are something we can all collect — unlike Blahniks, Choos or Louboutins which could mean foregoing a month’s worth of meals if we want to buy even just one pair.

We also love how the story of how this 63-year-old Florida woman amassed her homogeneous sneaker collection. She started collecting a little when she was a kid when it was the cool thing to do and then started to really get into it about 15 years ago when three Converse outlet stores opened in Orlando near her home.

Those are all outlet stores so she can get Converse sneakers which typically sell for $60 for about $25. She also uses coupons, buys each and every pair in person (nothing online), and gets plenty of gifts from friends and family who all now associate the brand Converse with Penny Gold.

She has her own favorites of course and has only worn about half of her collection. She keeps them all in one room in her home, inside a walk-in closet with floor-to-ceiling shelves custom-built by her husband.

Forget the Guinness Book of World Records (although we do hope that Penny Gold winds the title of having the largest collection of Converse sneakers) — someone give an award to her husband!

Check out more pictures of Penny Gold’s Converse sneakers collection below. We’re crossing our fingers for you, Mrs. Penny Gold!

Penny Gold's Converse sneakers

Penny Gold's Converse sneakers

Penny Gold's Converse sneakers

Credit: Penny Gold, Today, Orlando Sentinel, CF News 13