Counter intelligence
We asked the staff of Time Out New York and their coolest contacts to tell us where real New Yorkers go shopping. They gave us this indispensable guide to the best big stores and hidden treasures.
Books and comics
Trainers
Department stores
Fashion
Record shops
Technology
Spas
And a few more of our favourites...
Books and comics
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192 Books
This Chelsea store is a bookworm’s paradise, with a brilliant selection
of new, old and out-of-print books – and a cosy interior to read them
in. Keep an eye on the website if you are planning a trip, as 192
organises readings and discussions with a very impressive roll call of
writers (recently, Salman Rushdie and Alan Hollinhurst; Julian Barnes
soon to appear).
192 Books, 192 10th Avenue at 21st St, (+1 212 255 4022/www.192books.com) Subway: C, E to 23rd St-8th Avenue.
Open Mon, Sun 12noon-6pm, Tue-Sat 11am-7pm.
Brooklyn Community Bookstore
Visitors here are advised to bring a torch and sustenance. Its every
shelf, wall, floor, nook and cranny is stuffed with used, discontinued,
discounted and new books, making it impossible to find what you were
looking for but impossible to leave without armfuls of unplanned
treasures.
Brooklyn Community Bookstore, 212 Court St, Brooklyn (+1 718 834 9494) Subway: F to Bergen. Open Mon-Fri,
Sun 12noon-10.30pm, Sat 12noon-12midnight.
Midtown Comics
A mammoth store set up by collectors for collectors, with over half a
million comics, graphic novels and paperbacks on the shelves. There is
also a whole floor dedicated to related paraphernalia: action figures,
statues, novelty toys and posters.
Midtown Comics, Times Square, 200 W 40th St,
corner of 7th Avenue (+1 212 302 8192) Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, A, B, C,
D, E, F, N, R, W, Q to 42nd St-Times Square. Open Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun
12noon-7pm.
Trainers
Alife Rivington Club
Sneakers equal religion in this out-of-the-way shop which is the city’s
main hub for hard-to-get-shoes. The store, like its wares, has rather
an exclusive vibe: there’s no sign, no street number, no indication it
even exists from the outside. Look closely and ring the bell to check
out the rotating selection of 60 or so styles.
Alife Rivington Club, 158 Rivington St (+1 212
375 8128) Subway: F to Delancey St or J, M, Z to Delancey St-Essex St.
Open daily 12noon-7pm.
Classic Kicks
One of the more female-friendly sneaker shops, Classic Kicks stocks
both the mainstream and rare styles of Converse, Lacoste, Puma, and
Vans, to name but a few, for both boys and girls, along with a decent
selection of clothes.
Classic Kicks, 298 Elizabeth St (+1 212 979 9514) Subway: B, D, F, V to
Broadway Lafayette or 6 to Bleecker St. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-7pm, Sun
12noon-6pm.
Clientele
Set up like an art gallery display, the kicks line one wall of the
minimalist store, while patrons perch on a long wooden bench to admire
them.
Clientele, 267 Lafayette St (+1 212 219 0531) Subway: N, R, W to Prince
St or 6 to Spring St. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-8pm, Sun 12noon-7pm.
Flight Club New York
On a hidden block near the NY University, the newly opened Flight Club
New York is the local sneakerheads’ best kept secret. Limited edition,
customised and rare special-issue sneakers are bought and sold at this
quirky sneaker swap-meet. A must on the map of any hardcore sneaker
aficionados.
Flight
Club New York, 254 Greene St, between 8th St and Waverly Place (+1 212
505 2330) Subway: N, R to 8th St- NYU. Open daily 12noon-7pm.
Laces
Newly opened Laces is a boutique devoted to rare street sneakers for
women. Owned by the founder of sneakerhead bible Kicksclusive magazine,
Laces stocks the most exclusive couture sneakers in the city.
Laces, Mott St, between Houston and Prince Sts (+1 212 334
5457/www.laces-nyc.com). Subway: 6 to Bleecker St. Open Mon, Tue by
appointment only. Wed-S.at 12noon-7.30pm
