He makes stars' feet shine

PALMETTO (FOX 13) - As soon as Anthony Bennett starts, an image pops into his head and he goes to work, turning plain white sneakers into a piece of art destined for a national stage.

"No cleat is the same," he explained. "All my work is one of one. There will never be a duplicate."

Anthony's designs can be spotted on the fields of some very big stadiums, with players from the Bucs, Lions, and Eagles sporting his shoes.

"Bobby Rainey, Vincent Jackson, Kwon Alexander, Bradley McDougald; Carl Davis of the Baltimore Ravens, Brandon Copeland, Jaylen Watkins and Louis Murphy," he named off.

Anthony started customizing sneakers two years ago.  He was on vacation in Ft. Lauderdale when he saw the idea.

"I basically wanted to know how to do it myself. I went on Google, YouTube and researched how to do custom shoes," he explained.

What started as a hobby turned into a full time job.   His company, AB Customz, is based out of a shed behind his house.  Monday afternoon, he worked on a pair of shoes for Buccaneer Vincent Jackson.

"The whole situation, the whole deal of how it happened it was so surreal. I felt like a kid all over again, meeting my favorite player of my favorite team," he said.

He designs shoes for whoever wants them.  They range between $150 to $200.

From high school football players to proud fans, he will paint sneakers, high heels or whatever anyone brings him.

It's the NFL starts that get his heart pounding.

"I will watch a game specifically to see them running around in a pair of cleats that I did for them because it gives me an excitement," said Anthony.

But whether it's for a superstar or for the kid next door, Anthony takes pride in what he does and smiles to see others wearing his work.

"When I'm doing a pair of shoes, I want to know that when this person wears these shoes that they are representing me and they are representing themselves as looking good as well," he added.