eco-royalty: August 2008

23 August 2008

Gentrification: A Series.

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN, NYC.

Industrial buildings, perfect for redevelopment and gentrification.

Industrial Re-Make. Perfect for redevelopment. . . and Gentrification, holler.

Infill Housing. Yikes

Toy Store. Kid Robot-esque

Infill Housing. Condo-nation.

SF is guilty, Manhattan guilty, and any other up and coming hood- guilty.

Gentrification, it happens.

Common symptoms of the gentri include:

hipster infestation
plaid flannel
poindexter glasses
massive redevelopment
infill housing (bougi-fied condo's)
lack of black, people.
bitchy/rude/diva vinyl record store owners.
lame cafe's with cool storefronts and names.

The newest discovery was Williamsbug in August of 2008, a new/hip/neighborhood in Brooklyn. Don't get me wrong, the area is cute. I'd holla. But the attitude in the area was spoiled rotten. No one on the little Williamsburg strip was actually from there, yet there was a stench of entitlement among the new residents.

Its funny, because I am seem to qualify for a lot of the gentrification symptoms: I wear flannels in the summer and rock the chunky black frames; I'd probably even sit in those cafe's and enjoy the over priced panini and $8 tecate, but I think being aware of your surroundings and what you represent is slight vindication. Thats all I want-->is for people to acknowledge that they're a gimmic, a joke, a misfit, a consumer, a toy in the game they are perpetuating: gentrification.

The pace was slower than the island, and that was refreshing. The shops were cute, nothing new though: toy shops, vinyl records, overpriced thrifting/vintage. Standard. But damn, the attitude, it killed the experience. One bonus: I stumbled upon an underground bar on its karaoke night, that was dope.

19 August 2008

Forever$neaker$hopping: NYC Edition

Yo, I just came back from NYC, and I'm pretty sure I hit up a majority of the sneaker spots there. Here's a taste:

@MO$ (ATMOS)::

Located on 125th, its mos def a must see in Manhattan, as said to me by another sneaker aficionado. In the Heart of Harlem, this spot is a diamond. As Julian and I walk up I see a honey in side holding the doors shut, and I'm thinkin: this place is gettin all studio 54 and shit, so I ask whats goin on. One of the dudes said there was a giant bug buzzin around the doors, and they didnt want it to get inside. Damn. Major diva points earned, and major masculinity points taken away. But this store was chock full of cute sneakers, special and classics, and the crew was ultra nice and attractive. Holler back for the Atmos crew!

JIMMY JAZZ AND MILLENNIA::

Millennia (inside shot below, and if you look close enough you can spot a honey)

These spots are on the chainy side , but they have all the sneakers that the boutiques have. Its like shoppin in the mission or something (which I loved). Millennia was also located on 125th but closer to the MorningSide than Harlem. They actually had a large selection of female sizes and child sizes for me to choose from, which the smaller stores lack. And again, the was ULTRA helpful and friendly. Just a dope neighborhood spot. Jimmy Jazz is like Shiek in the mission and on market. Kinda tacky, but they carry all the necessities and hottest kicks that TRUE would carry here in the city. There were about 5 Jimmy's on 125th street, so obviously a local favorite.

ALIFE RIVINGTON CLUB::

Again, diva to the max, but still the crew was tight. Located in the lower east side, this store is hella cutty! Like a hidden bank or something. This spot was featured on "My Super Sweet 16" when Diddy's stepson needed to sneaker shop for his Stunna 16, so I was kind of buggin out when I found it. This is the kind of a spot thats dope to visit, but I wasnt anticipating on finding anything. There were some dope special edition hi-top Reebok's but they didnt have my size, *surprise surprise*. They have one sneaker store and then next door they have a store for t-shirts, hats, graffiti markers, and (the ever so necessary in new york) ALIFE lighters.

DAVE$ QUALITY MEAT$ (DQM):::

This one has to be one of my favorite sneaker spots in NYC, and it was the first one I stumbled upon. Located under groundish, this store had one of the best sneaker selections I saw in NYC. Maybe this was because it was one of the first spots I went to, but I just thought most of their kicks were cute (boys included). They had HUF stuff, and a throwback HUF employee to boot who was rockin a Giants hat (holler back to the Bay Pride). I was pleasently surprised consiering Im not a fan of the DQM website. Their female sneaker selection wasn't poppin so I copped a tee and hat; fresh to death.

CLIENTELE::

The selection was pretty lackluster, but the dudes behind the counter were hella sweet. I had to detox from the atrocity that was Supreme and went into this diamond in the rough. When I told them that I was from the Bay, one dude was like: "oh you know Marin County? Oh I love Marin, they got this dope Walgreens when you cross the bridge, that shits huge!" Gotta love it. I copped some sneaker gold and a tee and bounced.

REED SPACE::

Last but not least, Reed Space is also located in the Lower East Side. Tati and I entered through the back, and had to be buzzed in... divaaaaa. But you walk in to a wall of urban culture magazines: sneaker freaker, URB, and hella other unknowns for $20/ea. loved it. Their sneakers selection was small, which included some throwback Keeps. I grabbed these kicks called Pointer, which are from the UK. They had a decent selection of clothes for both genders and a HILARIOUS playlist which included MIA and Eminem. If I could, I would spend the day just flippin through their mags.