EBay believes its new boot camp could boost beleaguered storefronts When childhood friends Preston Clark and Frank Miller III started Seventh Floor Clothing in Akron, Ohio, in 2016, the new entrepreneurs quickly gained a boost from a hometown hero. One of the streetwear brand?s first products, a ?Kiss the Trophy? hat hyping the championship chances of the NBA?s Cleveland Cavaliers, was promoted on Instagram by none other than LeBron James.
The small gesture helped the company sell hundreds of hats and shirts and gain an early audience. A few years later, another big name has helped the duo not only prosper, but realize their dream of opening a physical store in downtown Akron, at the city?s Northside Marketplace, this past November: eBay. The latest assist is part of a new initiative from the e-commerce giant, Retail Revival, a nearly year-old foray into promoting small businesses and storefront retail in select U.S. cities master online sales and tap into eBay?s vast international marketplace. Active in Akron, Ohio; Lansing, Michigan; and Wolverhampton, England, the program argues that e-commerce, often portrayed as a force killing these same brick-and-mortar stores and smaller businesses?a widely cited report from 2016 suggests Amazon has cost the retail industry tens of thousands of jobs?may actually be its savior.

Courtesy eBay
Preston Clark, left, and Frank Miller III, cofounders of Seventh Floor Clothing, a participant in Retail Revival...