READING, Pa. — Just steps from where he performed in front of thousands in downtown, Nelly snuck into a stop for some sneakers.

“I didn’t even know they were coming until his brother actually walked into the store,” said Tyler Simmons, owner of The Plug.

The hip-hop icon and entrepreneur is a huge sneaker fan, so his brother said he’ll bring him to the store later today.

“I feel a little anxious,” Simmons recalled. “I mean, I grew up being a fan of Nelly and listening to her music.”

It was just before closing time when Simmons won a client he will never forget.

“We were getting ready to get out of here, and here’s Nelly and her entourage getting out of three Sprinter vans,” Simmons said. “I didn’t know who it was at first, but it was kind of a cool moment.”

“They have Jordan 3 Cardinals, Off-White [Nike] Dunks, Yeezys, Jordan Mocha 1,” Simmons said. “They just had 15, 20 pairs, something like that.”

That’s in addition to two pairs of Nelly’s favorite shoes, the Nike Air Force 1.

“I grew up watching Nelly on TV and for him to be at my Penn Street establishment is just a good looking man feeling good.”

Simmons moved his store from the 200 block of Penn Street to the 500 block in September, growing from 450 square feet to nearly 8,000. He said Nelly told him he was proud to support a black-owned business.

“Now when he comes to Reading PA he knows The Plug is the only place to go,” Simmons said.