Word: harley
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...Harley, then 27, was the new marketing director for Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co., which lovingly sewed and sold authentic replicas of old sports jerseys known as throwbacks. When Combs was shown some samples, he wanted to buy them. He also warmed to Harley, telling him "You remind me of Biggie," a.k.a. rap-music star Christopher Wallace, a Combs friend who was gunned down in 1997. Harley and his employer were instantly anointed...
...Harley grew up in West Philadelphia, where he managed to avoid the drugs and desperation that plagued his neighborhood. He graduated from high school but couldn't afford college, so he took a series of odd jobs, such as busing tables and selling Italian ices at the playgrounds. He enjoyed cooking, so he started a catering business. Harley would wake up at 3 a.m. to prepare lasagna, chicken and desserts in his grandmother's kitchen. Then, at lunchtime, he would head out to beauty salons and other local spots to sell meals and slices of cake...
...Harley saved his profits to buy classic jerseys from M&N's sole retail store downtown. (The company still has only one store, a popular destination for NBA stars when their teams are playing in Philly. Most of M&N's business involves wholesaling jerseys to 220 retailers around the country.) Back in West Philly, everyone would ask Harley where he got his Hank Aaron jersey, but Harley would not tell. "I loved them so much, I just wanted them as my own," he says. "But just seeing a cat's reaction, I knew this could really catch...
...went to Capolino and offered to help him sell 1950s baseball jerseys--long collector's items for middle-aged sports nuts--to inner-city youths. Harley proposed to first target those who could most afford M&N's finely stitched replicas--pro athletes and rappers. He started, as he puts it, "crashing parties" at New York City and Philadelphia nightclubs. Once he had P. Diddy and Fabolous on board, Harley persuaded Capolino to fly him around the country to network with other music and sports stars at awards shows, All-Star games and other big events like the Super Bowl...
...face: a charming, energetic, unassuming African American whom the stars could trust and in whom they could confide. One recent afternoon, Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal--who owns 150 throwback jerseys and says acquiring the hottest model is a "competitive sport" among teammates--huddled with Harley in front of the M&N store and pondered not just his wardrobe but his future. He discussed the possibility of playing next year in sunny Miami or with close friend Tracy McGrady in Orlando. "Reuben's just a cool guy, and he delivers what you need on time," says...