Imagined as both sneaker and apparel brand showroom, and part time community space, the shop also doubles as a platform for local underground hip hop celebrities and other artists to showcase their latest work at the threshold of Flushing, Queens.
When you enter the store - you are a part of the tribe and you matter. The threshold is an unassuming, but minimalist take on a vestibule that also serves as a coffee shop in the day. A thick wall skinned in concrete panels is solid except for a long horizontal cutout that displays the hottest kicks while framing a peak to the showroom space beyond.
Porous black display walls reference the steel cages of the area’s post industrial past, with a minimal modernism that makes the store feel light. The organization of shelves allows for flexible arrangement of curated products. Each sneaker is suspended on thin shelves welded to the metal frames, that encourage a continuous circulation through the space.
The store reflects the history of the neighborhood with a nod to the past. Here in Queens, it’s the exterior signage - with its decades of paint layers that can still be made out to say “Tuxedos & Costumes”. Alumni layers on to the neighborhood with their unique style.
Photography - Rafael Gamo
