THE XNY GUIDE TO CLASSIC NEW YORK CITY CULTURE Presents: The 5 Places You Need To Shop For Shoes In New York City
Place yourself at an intersection in New York City. Stand there for two minutes, watching as people shuffle, flutter and sprint past you, but don’t look at their faces; rather, lock your eyes only on their feet. Note what you see. Chances are, you’re bound to every style of sneaker imaginable blow by you in New York, New York, and why not? You’re in the epicenter of sneaker culture, where trends and styles ebb and flow like the tide of the Hudson.
And we’ve got you covered on where to get the looks. Whether you’re looking for sneaks for the hardwood or those hard-to-find retro runners, the following five spots are where sneaker culture lives in New York City.
Photos: Facebook, House of Hoops
Basketball Sneakers – House of Hoops (FootLocker)
Well what other store would you expect to bring you the best basketball shoes possible than one called “House of Hoops”? Footlocker has three locations for its House of Hoops in the Big Apple: its original location Uptown in Harlem; its flagship store off 34th Street in Herald Square and Brooklyn. All three stores offer unparalleled shoe offerings from brands like Nike, Adidas and Jordan–not to mention offerings (like the limited-edition Nike LeBron X “MVP”s) that few other stores receive period.
11 W. 34th St. (Herald Square)
Between 5th and 6th Ave.
(212) 971-9449
Open Monday-Sunday (M-Sat., 9-9; Sun., 10-7)
268 W. 125th St. (Harlem)
Between 8th Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd.
(212) 316-1667
Open Monday-Sunday (M-F, 9-8; Sat.-Sun., 11-7)
408 Fulton St. (Brooklyn)
Between Lawrence and Bridge St.
(718) 649-2239
Classic Canvas Sneakers – The Vans DQM General
Vans are the OG canvas sneaker, prized on both coasts since 1966. DQM has been a staple of NYC’s Downtown streetwear and skate scene since 2003. When the two joined forces in 2011 to open The Vans DQM General, it forged an old-new alliance to craft and sell sneakers that were simple and timeless, but also of the times. The store offers a variety of Vans and Vans Vault models, like Eras and Authentics, which oftentimes can’t be found anywhere else.
93 Grand St.
Between Greene and Mercer St.
(212) 226-7776
Open Monday-Sunday (M-Sat., 11-7; Sun. 11-6)
Ronnie Fieg is the man behind Kith, his sneaker dream store located off Broadway and Bleecker Street (Kith also opened up a store off Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn in 2011). That’s a name to remember because Fieg is a NYC sneaker luminary, generating classic collaborations with Sebago and Asics, the latter of which have seen a resurgence under Fieg’s Gel Lyte III iterations. But at Kith you can also find running classics like limited-edition New Balance 577s and Nike Air Maxes, among many others.
644 Broadway (Greenwich Village)
Between Bond and Bleecker St.
(646) 648-6285
Open Monday-Sunday (M-Sat., 10-9; Sun. 10-8)
233 Flatbush Avenue (Brooklyn)
Between Dean and Bergen St.
(347) 821-4206
Open Monday-Sunday (M-Sat., 11-8; Sun., 12-7)
Tech-Enhanced Sneakers – Niketown
Where those who worship at the altar of Phil Knight find not only their threads but their kicks as well. New York’s Niketown is the company’s flagship, located on Madison Avenue with five floors of goodies for sneaker nerds. Need a pair of the latest Nike Flyknits? Niketown has it. A pair of souped-up basketball digs like the Clippers’ Chris Paul’s signature model? Niketown has that, too. A fully customizable pair of Nike Air Maxes that feature your Alma mater’s colors AND a gold swoosh–a pair that only you own? Yeah, just head to Niketown.
6 E. 57th St.
Between 5th and Madison Ave.
(212) 891-6453
Open Monday-Sunday (M-Sat., 10-8; Sun. 11-7)
The Jordan Holy Grail – Flight Club New York
Well this is sort of misleading. Flight Club’s a Holy Grail for damn near every shoe, if customers judge the Greenwich Village superstore solely off that life-altering experience of seeing the sneaker wall stretch towards infinity. But it has lots of Jordans, too, including hard-to-find limited edition runs from years past. It’s been noted that the prices at the store might be pricy, but think about it: why not spend that little extra to nab those Jordans (or Dunks or Air Griffey Max 1s) you’ve always wanted?
812 Broadway
Between 12th and 11th St.
(888) 937-8020
Open Monday-Sunday, 12-8