Sneakerheads Reveal the 5 Hottest Sneaker Stores in NYC

There’s one thing that won’t change, and that’s males’ love of sneakers. A fresh pair of sneaks to a dude is like an expensive must- have bag to a woman, because no matter how strapped for cash, we’ll drop all kinds of money to cop the latest — or vintage — pair.  In fact, if you want to start a fight, just step on a dude’s fresh sneakers and you’ll get just what you’re looking for.  

So, while in New York city, which could be the street swag capital of the world, I decided to hunt down the five best places to find the widest variety of the must-have kicks that provided the experience that upheld the celebrated sneaker culture. 

Alife

158 Rivington Street
212.375.8116

Alife has an underground feel and is owned by a collective of “cool” kids. It’s all about indie fashion and underground art, enhanced by hip-hop music, grafitti-infused everything and gear you’ve likely never seen before. It’s a sneaker freak mecca. Alife is so hot, you’ll likely find you have to be put on a waiting list to get what you want.

Dave’s Quality Meats

7 East 3rd Street 
212. 505.7551

Dave’s Quality Meats (aka DQM) is an institution of the NYC sneaker scene. It has a cool butcher shop motif, with meating hanging hooks to enhance the experience. They specialize in unique Nikes, with a great selection of adidas and Vans, also. Dave’s has also been known to come out with exclusive custom pairs of their own.

Flight Club New York

120 Nassau Street
212.233.7178

Flight Club is great for collectors and regular customers alike. The atmosphere makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a sneaker shop from the ’80s, but with the hottest current sneaks. New Yorkers call it the “it” sneaker store.

West

147 West 72nd Street
212.787.8595

West is an eye-catching spot on 72nd street. It’s a brick-walled space that’s decorated with black-and-white photos of famous New Yorkers that contrast with loads of colorful gear and shoes. Many of the sneakers are limited edition

Goliath RF

175 E 105th Street
212.360.7683

Black owned and operated Goliath is an uptown shop, in Harlem, with all the amenities of the downtown scene. The set-up of this joint is pretty cool; it used to be a bar & they opted to keep the bar set-up. They specialize in having all the most exclusive releases of sneakers of recent memory in stock and is a great place to get a good kick-fix. The staff is extremely accessible and willing to help or simply have a decent convo about pretty much anything, just like you’d find in a bar.