'This is just the beginning,' CJay's Drip opens new storefront, signs student to NIL deal
Daniel Larlham Jr., Lebanon Daily News
8 min read
Surrounded by close friends and family, Charles "Big Chuck" Jackson and Chad Thierwechter, both 39, cut the ribbon on the new location of their storefront, brand and headquarters of change, CJay's Drip, at 545 Cumberland St. on Monday.
They have known each other since high school, with Jackson living with Thierwechter's family for a time during those days.
Post high school, they both traveled down what they describe as the wrong path, selling drugs, with both eventually spending time in prison, a matter that they're passionately open about in their efforts to stop Lebanon's youth from making the same mistakes they did.
"This is just the beginning, and we want to take it to the next level," Jackson said in an emotional speech during the ceremony. "With friendship, man, it's everything. Everybody isn't your friend. There's people here, at one time we were enemies, and now we're friends. And that's love, and that's what it's all about. Back then, you know, we handled things differently now than what we used to."
"Everything needs to be talked about. You got a problem with me or you got a problem with somebody, let's talk about it let's try to figure it out. But we gotta put the guns down. We gotta start making a change in the community."
Charles "Big Chuck" Jackson (left) and Chad Thierwechter (right) cut the ribbon on the new storefront at 545 Cumberland St. for CJay's Drip on Monday, Sept. 11.
How they got here
In many ways, it was sneakers that saved them, and for Thierwechter in particular, a pair of Off White Jordan 1's in the light blue and white colorway of Michael Jordan's alma mater, UNC.
"That shoe, that was back in 2017 or 2018, I think it was 2018 if i'm not mistaken," Thierwechter said of the time he initially got into reselling through his coworkers at Henise Tire. "They both got the shoe, they both hit it. That's a rare shoe, it goes for money. Raf got the shoe, he sold the shoe like five or six months later for, I might be mistaken on the amount, but like around $1,300. My boss, Rob, he held his shoe for like almost 18 months and he sold it on Ebay for $2,300."
"As soon as I seen that, I was like, wow, there's that much money in this."
Chad Thierwechter explained that seeing what his former coworkers sold this shoe, the Off White x Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG UNC, for pushed him into getting into selling shoes.
CJay's Drip opened its first storefront in April of 2022, only a few doors down from their new location. The response they've seen from the community has allowed them to expand into a larger space, roughly twice the size of their previous store.
Before their storefront, they would sell shoes together out of the back of a car.
Other than the hundreds of pairs of shoes they have on display at the store, they sell some clothing, scented oils, self-care supplies, jewelry handmade by Jackson's mother as well as books, garments and prayer rugs of the Muslim faith.
Thierwechter explained that, much like a traditional shoe store, the resale business has its seasons of the year that are more busy than others. In August, for example, they sold over 300 pairs of sneakers for, a 50% increase from that same month the previous year, meeting their goal.
They say they've been able to retain a customer base by staying committed to honest pricing, as the sneaker resale market can often be predatory to buyers.
"It's all about the community. You're only as good as those who support you. We try to give everyone fair deals. If you ask anyone. I really think it's our pricing, we have everything everyone else has. Obviously, we don't have a store that's 4,000 square foot, but we have Off White, we have Kobe's, we have tons and tons of shoes."
"It's just that, we don't try to take advantage of people, we try to sell our shoes right at market."
Chad Thierwechter makes a sale on the day of the ribbon cutting. Thierwechter believes that it's their commitment to fair prices in a market riddled with over pricing that's going to keep customers at their shop.
Committing to community
CJay's drip has allowed the duo to enact the same change they made for themselves onto the the youth, by way of the sneaker culture that helped them through their own transformations.
Their combined hope is that by giving shoes to young people, and sharing their story along with it, the younger generation might think twice before making a decision that could send them down the same path.
"We grew up poor. Me and him (Thierwechter), we struggled. That's how we got into a life where we were selling drugs, you know," Jackson said. "Eventually we went to jail. For him it was once but for me it took a couple of times, and I just didn't do like one or two years, I was doing four or five years each time."
Frustrated with what he was seeing in his own community, killings, and the continuation of the cycle that had put him on the wrong path, Jackson ruminated during his time incarcerated on how to help young men in danger of becoming a part of that cycle.
Thierwechter, too, thought deeply about how to break that cycle during his time in prison, wanting to guide kids to what he sees as the future, towards the right path.
Even in name, CJay's Drip is symbolic of the change they want to foster. While the C stands for their first names, Jay's represents the last name Jackson, the Jordan shoe, and Jason, Thierwechter's brother, who was killed as a result of gun violence.
Jackson's commitment to the youth began while he was reselling sneakers in Harrisburg, helping a few kids washing cars for a fee by dropping off paper towels and cleaning supplies. Helping others who were selling candy or drinks, seeing in them the potential he found in himself.
He eventually connected with the principal at Lebanon Middle School, who wanted him to come and talk to some students about his own transformation.
"I wound up working with two kids at the high school that a lot of teacher thought had potential to be great but didn't want to come to school, didn't want to follow directions," Jackson said. "I put them into an incentive program where I said, well, out of both of ya'll, if you can show me a 360 in your grades and your attendance and stuff like that, I'm gonna look out a get you a shoe."
"You know, the one didn't, but the one did. The teachers even said that they couldn't believe that he did the the 360 like that."
They've continued that incentive program with students at both the high school and middle school levels, with over 15 other students.
Teachers from local schools will stop in to ask Jackson to show up to a local community events, hoping that his presence will bring students out.
But it's not always just an incentive either, Jackson said. Sometimes they'll just give a pair of sneakers away to someone in need.
"If I see you walking and you've got holes in your shoes, I'm gonna look out for you," Jackson said. "It might not be the Jordan exclusives, but it'll be something where you're like, oh, thanks man, I appreciate that."
CJay's signs NIL deal with Lebanon athlete
Kailah Correa signed a Name, Image and Likeness deal with CJay's Drip shortly after their ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, Sept. 11.
The grand opening for CJay's drip's new location wasn't just a celebration for Jackson and Thierwechter, but for a rising star in Lebanon's high school sports.
Sixteen-year-old point guard Kailah Correa, joined by her mother Gina Root and father Giovanni Correa, named 6A All-State second team by the Pennsylvania Sportswriters her freshman year, signed a Name, Image, Likeness deal with CJay's Drip on Monday, shortly after the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Jackson said he originally got the idea after seeing that a Harrisburg area sneaker shop, Jawns on Fire, signed a similar deal with AAU travel team Philly Rise teammate Olivia Jones.
"The family, her family, I know them personally. I grew up with them. It's even deeper. It's a real vibe," Jackson said.
Jackson did not disclose exactly what Correa would be receiving from the deal, but assured that she was taken care of for the year. During the signing she received a custom athletic long-sleeve with CJay's logo on the front, and her initials, KC, on the back.
Correa, now a Junior, received her first college offer as a freshman and is currently being recruited. She hasn't yet made a decision, or know really where she'd like to go, but knows she wants to play D1.
"I feel proud of myself. Thankful, for sure, for this opportunity," Correa said. "Thankful for CJay's, thankful for my parents, for helping to put this together. I'm excited for what this is to bring. Hopefully this brings community in and puts our names out there. I'm excited."
Daniel Larlham Jr. is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at DLarlham@LDNews.com or on X @djlarlham.
