The Ave Venice Net Worth Update: The Shark Tank No-Deal Brand Still Selling
The Ave Venice is still active as The Ave Customs in 2026, selling custom shoes and apparel online. Nick Romero got no Shark Tank deal, and the old $3M net worth claim is not publicly verified.
TL;DRThe Ave Venice, now operating publicly as The Ave Customs, is a custom shoe and apparel business founded by Nick Romero in 2010. Romero appeared on Shark Tank USA Season 3 in 2012 asking $125,000 for 15% equity, an $833,333 implied valuation, but left with no deal. As of 16 June 2026, the active official Shopify storefront is theavecustoms.com, which is backed by theavevenice.myshopify.com and lists more than 150 products, including custom Vans, Converse-style Chucks, T-shirts, hoodies, partner shoes, and wholesale/contract-printing offerings. The old theavevenice.com domain no longer serves the brand and redirects elsewhere. The company says it has made tens of thousands of shoes in 16 years and is now located near the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Public audited revenue and net worth are not disclosed; GeeksAroundGlobe estimates company value at roughly $500,000 to $1.5 million based on the active Shopify catalog, long operating history, niche custom production model, and official lifetime production claim, but this is an editorial estimate, not a confirmed financial statement.
Quick answer: The Ave Venice is still active in 2026, but it now presents itself online as The Ave Customs. Founder Nick Romero appeared on Shark Tank in 2012 asking for $125,000 for 15%, and he left with no deal. The old $3 million net worth claim is not publicly verified, so our current estimate is more cautious: roughly $500,000 to $1.5 million in company value, based on visible store activity and official production claims.
| Company | The Ave Venice / The Ave Customs |
| Founder | Nick Romero |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Product | Custom-printed shoes, apparel, live printing, collaborations, wholesale and contract printing |
| Shark Tank ask | $125,000 for 15% equity |
| Implied valuation on Shark Tank | $833,333 |
| Final deal | No deal |
| Status on 16 June 2026 | Active through The Ave Customs at theavecustoms.com |
| Current public net worth | Not disclosed; GeeksAroundGlobe estimates ~$500,000 to $1.5 million |
The Ave Venice net worth: the quick answer
The Ave Venice is a private company, so there is no public market value, audited revenue filing, or confirmed founder net worth to cite. The older online figure of $3 million should be treated as an unverified estimate, not a fact.
A better 2026 answer is this: The Ave is an active niche custom-apparel business with real operating signals, but no public financial disclosure. The official site says the company has custom-made tens of thousands of shoes over 16 years. Its Shopify storefront lists more than 150 products and active custom-order paths. That supports a business with meaningful history, but not enough evidence to state a precise multimillion-dollar net worth.
Our editorial estimate is $500,000 to $1.5 million in company value. That range reflects a long-running specialist shop, online sales, custom shoe pricing, partnerships and contract printing, while discounting for the absence of published revenue, funding, or acquisition data.
Why we changed the old $3M claim
- Revenue is not disclosed. The company does not publish annual sales.
- Founder net worth is not disclosed. Nick Romero's personal wealth should not be presented as known.
- The old domain changed. The previous theavevenice.com URL now redirects away from the brand.
- The active store is different. The current official storefront is The Ave Customs at theavecustoms.com, with Shopify code tied to theavevenice.myshopify.com.
- Inventory is real, but not a balance sheet. A live catalog proves availability, not profit.
Is The Ave Venice still in business?
Yes. As of 16 June 2026, The Ave is still operating online as The Ave Customs. The current storefront says "custom everything" and "since 2010," sells custom footwear and apparel, and ships worldwide.
The official about page says The Ave has evolved from a Venice Beach retail staple into a larger production business focused on online partnerships, collaborations, wholesale and contract printing. It also says the team is now located near the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, which explains why the "Venice" name can confuse readers looking for a current Los Angeles storefront.
The clean current-status answer is: The Ave Venice did not vanish after Shark Tank; it appears to have continued under The Ave Customs, with online custom orders and partner work now driving the business.
Where can you buy The Ave Venice products now?
The verified current buying channel is the official Shopify storefront: theavecustoms.com.
On 16 June 2026, the public Shopify product feed listed more than 150 products. Examples included custom high-top Chucks around $140, custom low-top Chucks around $135, custom Slip-On Vans around $110 to $125, custom Sk8-Hi Vans around $170, T-shirts around $15 to $25, hoodies around $40 to $50, and some partner/custom Nike or Adidas products in the $375 to $390 range.
We could not verify an active official Amazon storefront during this update. The safest buyer advice is to use the official The Ave Customs site and avoid assuming third-party listings are current or authorized.
What happened to The Ave Venice on Shark Tank?
Nick Romero pitched The Ave Venice on Shark Tank USA Season 3. The business offered custom-printed footwear and apparel, turning shoes and shirts into one-off wearable designs. Romero asked for $125,000 for 15% equity, valuing the company at about $833,333.
The Sharks liked the creative product and the visible customer appeal, but they did not invest. The concern was scalability: custom footwear is labor-heavy, harder to standardize, and less obviously venture-scalable than a repeatable consumer product.
Romero left without a Shark, but the TV exposure still mattered. In later interviews and official company copy, The Ave points to Shark Tank alongside other media appearances as part of the brand's credibility story.
| Company name on Shark Tank | The Ave Venice |
| Founder | Nick Romero |
| Product | Custom printed shoes and apparel |
| Ask | $125,000 for 15% |
| Implied valuation | $833,333 |
| Deal result | No deal |
| Post-show status | Still active as The Ave Customs in 2026 |
READ ALSO: Boot Illusion Net Worth Update and InvisaRack Net Worth Update from Shark Tank Season 3.
Who is Nick Romero?
Nick Romero founded The Ave in 2010 after being inspired by a custom shirt shop in Chicago. In a 2017 VoyageLA interview, he said the idea began after he got a custom shirt near Wrigley Field, received compliments on it, and started researching direct-to-garment printing and trade shows.
Romero first built The Ave around custom apparel, then developed shoe-printing technology that the company says became patented. The brand grew from one printer and one employee into live events, licensing, online sales, a USC campus store, production work, and collaborations.
His personal net worth is not public. Any article that states a precise Nick Romero net worth without a filing, sale, or direct disclosure is guessing.
What changed after Shark Tank?
The Ave did not become a Shark-backed company, but it did keep building around custom production. Its public story shifted from a Venice Beach retail shop to a production and online-order business. The official about page now says the company focuses mainly on online partnerships, collaborations, wholesale and contract printing.
That is an important distinction. The Ave's post-show path does not look like a classic Shark Tank retail breakout. It looks more like a durable custom-production shop that found a workable niche: shoes, apparel, live printing, influencer or brand collaborations, and private-label style fulfillment.
The Ave Venice net worth timeline
| Year | Status |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Nick Romero founds The Ave. |
| 2012 | Appears on Shark Tank Season 3; asks $125,000 for 15%, implying an $833,333 valuation; no deal. |
| 2017 | Romero tells VoyageLA The Ave expanded into live events, licensing, online business, production, a USC store, and NVR Shoes. |
| 2023 | Older online updates claim $3M net worth/revenue, but no public source verifies the figure. |
| 2026 | The Ave Customs storefront is live with 150+ products; official copy says tens of thousands of shoes made in 16 years. |
Bottom line
The Ave Venice is a better Shark Tank survival story than the old copy suggested, but a less certain financial story. The company is still selling, now as The Ave Customs, and it has enough public activity to show that Nick Romero's no-deal business kept moving. What we cannot honestly confirm is the old hard claim that The Ave is worth $3 million or earns $3 million per year.
The most accurate 2026 answer is: The Ave is active, privately held, and likely worth somewhere in the low seven figures at most unless stronger revenue evidence appears. The Shark deal never happened, but the brand did not disappear.
Frequently asked questions
Did The Ave Venice get a deal on Shark Tank?
No. Nick Romero asked for $125,000 for 15% equity, but the Sharks passed.
Is The Ave Venice still in business?
Yes. As of 16 June 2026, The Ave is active online as The Ave Customs at theavecustoms.com.
What is The Ave Venice's net worth?
The company does not disclose audited revenue or net worth. GeeksAroundGlobe estimates roughly $500,000 to $1.5 million in company value, but that is an editorial estimate, not a confirmed financial statement.
Where can I buy The Ave Venice products?
The verified current buying channel is the official The Ave Customs Shopify store at theavecustoms.com.
Who founded The Ave Venice?
Nick Romero founded The Ave in 2010.
Is The Ave Venice still in Venice Beach?
The brand began as a Venice Beach retail business, but the current official about page says the team is now located near the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.
How we verified this update
This update was checked on 16 June 2026. We reviewed the current The Ave Customs Shopify storefront, the public Shopify product feed, the official about and contact pages, the old theavevenice.com domain behavior, the 2017 VoyageLA interview with Nick Romero, and Shark Tank tracker data for the pitch terms. Public revenue, profit, employee count, and founder net worth remain undisclosed, so we label valuation language as an editorial estimate rather than a confirmed fact.
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