When a boy becomes a man at his Bar Mitzvah, it’s time for him to lace up his shoes and hit the ground running as a Jewish adult. But before Liam could run off into his new chapter in life, he set out to celebrate the monumental occasion in true sneakerhead fashion, envisioning a sneaker themed Bar Mitzvah party.
With the sleek and urban feel of the sneaker party theme in mind, Melisa Imberman of The Event of a Lifetime searched tirelessly for the perfect raw, adaptable, and elegant space that could host the epic event. Eventually, an unexpected solution presented itself—an exclusive private car club housed an endless number of luxury and vintage cars. The allure of the collection of cars coupled with the pristine white walls and flooring made the venue the perfect space, and Liam and his dad were all in on it. With this development, Melisa worked to elevate the original theme to incorporate the incredible cars- eventually dubbing the theme Cars and Kicks.
To set the tone from the start, guests were presented with incredible invitations designed to resemble miniature Nike shoe boxes. Inside, they discovered a beautifully crafted custom lucite sneaker adorned with monogramed shoelaces.
After an intimate backyard Bar Mitzvah service led by Liam’s own grandmother, Liam traded his service shoes for his best sneakers, getting ready to celebrate and dance the night away. Arriving at the transformed venue, guests were just as wowed by the party’s decor as they were by the cars around them.
While the amazing autos certainly made a statement, the centerpieces were the real showstopper. Invoking the feeling of a glass shoebox, the pieces showcased sneakers from Liam’s own personal collection.
Sitting atop black quilted vinyl tablecloths and black napkins tied with custom shoe laces, the translucent pieces minimally decorated with subtle florals and candles still allowed for the perfect view of the vehicles that lined the walls.
Upon arrival, guests were invited to leave a note on a unique type of sign-in board—a genuine football jersey bearing Liam’s name and the number 13 to represent the age of becoming a Bar Mitzvah.
Over the dancefloor, a spectacular display of custom lit up sneakers hung down, making it feel like a sneakerhead’s heaven. A bright stage with a huge video wall was adorned with boxes proudly displaying the rest of Liam’s sneaker collection. For photos, a backdrop mounted with sports equipment painted white was a sleek spot to commemorate the celebration. Beside it was a Lids shop for guests to create their own hats to take home!
The real partying commenced with dancing and fun and fashionable giveaways including t-shirts and corduroy bucket hats with an “Off-White” inspired logo. Guests also got their hands on cute collectibles like a popper fidget phone case wallet, monogramed shoelaces, and an adorable Nike shoebox AirPods case.
In case anyone needed a moment to kick up their feet and relax, a stylish and comfortable lounge area awaited, featuring tables designed to resemble shoe boxes, complete with custom pillows. The bar backdrop was plastered with inspirational and motivational quotes to match the exciting and uplifting day.
Looking at before and after photos of the space shows just how huge of a transformation the room underwent, taking this:
to this:
Liam’s enthusiasm for his hobbies coupled with Melisa Imberman’s imagination and expertise perfectly combined two themes into one, taking a blank canvas space and transforming it into a breathtaking party venue. This just goes to show that with creativity and big ideas, any theme can be a showstopper- or rather, a shoestopper.
Photography by Whitnee Shulman
