Sole Camp

When I was in Miami, back in August 2010, I posted on the blog about some of the cool sneaker stores I visited while I was down there. I recently took another trip there, earlier in February, and I want to provide a deep look at two different shops I went to in Miami this time around:

Mr R Sports

Mr R Sports

In its 40-year existence, Mr R Sports has made itself a South Beach footwear industry staple with its wide variety of product and great customer service. The store carries shoes from Nike (Sportswear, Basketball & Running), adidas Originals, Converse, New Balance, Jordan, Reebok, Lacoste and even more. And because Mr R carries so many brands, you would expect them to have a relatively small stock of each one, right? Wrong. Each brand’s footwear is placed on its own wall with a nice display that’s also based on the brand. For example, the shop has all of its Nike Sportswear shoes on a wooden wall, like how the boxes that Nike Sportswear sneaker come in have the same color as wood. Also, the guys that work at Mr R Sports are passionate about what they do too. Clyde Edwards (aka SneakerBox Clyde), Mr R’s creative director for quite some time now, has brought Mr R into the internet’s spotlight with cool shirt designs and crisp product shots. He even came out from the back of the store to talk with me for a bit despite being busy with things like those and a million others I’m sure. And while I was at Mr R Sports this time around, I even got the chance to meet Mr R himself, who, despite being old, was hard at work unpacking and setting up new arrangements in his store. He was very kind, and even complemented my footwear. If you need some new shoes, whether you’re looking for something specific or don’t know what you want, take a trip to Mr R Sports at 408 Lincoln Road. Check below for some pictures I took inside the shop. (more…)

When I was in Miami, back in August 2010, I posted on the blog about some of the cool sneaker stores I visited while I was down there. I recently took another trip there, earlier in February, and I want to provide a deep look at two different shops I went to in Miami this time around:

Unknwn

Unknwn

Unknwn, the brainchild of Miami Heat superstar LeBron James and a group of his childhood friends from Akron, OH, looks to bring both class and a taste of the future to Aventura Mall in North Miami. As I walked to the store, its front immediately caught my eye with a tribal-lion pattern. Then, when I stepped into the store, I got a sense of the diversity of its assortment in shoes, clothing, and accessories. On the front-left side of the store, a wall that’s decked out with hot sneakers from Nike, Reebok, Vans, and Converse, as well as iPad displays, definitely gave me something worth looking at. Some particular pairs that Unknwn still had in stock that caught my attention were the “10.0″ Blake Griffin Hyperdunk 2011 PE and the “AHCHOO” Extra Butter x Reebok Pump AXT. The rest of the store was filled with nice apparel, for both ladies and men, from Original Fake, Billionaire Boys Club, The Hundreds, American Apparel, Nike, Jeremy Scott and more. Not to mention that the store had the gem known as the “Watch the Throne” LeBron 9, a friends-and-family release made for LeBron James, Kanye West, and Jay-Z, sitting behind its counter. If you’re looking for the hottest in streetwear and a nice pair of kicks to set your outfit off, you can visit Unknwn in Aventura Mall in Aventura, FL. Check below for some pictures I took of the store. (more…)

Major

This past week, when Jake and I visited Georgetown University down in Washington D.C., we were able to stop by D.C.’s most well-known sneaker shop, Major. Immediately upon walking into the store, I noticed that Major has a lot to offer to any fan of kicks and clothing. The multiple racks inside the store carry hot streetwear from brands such as Staple, HUF, Diamond Supply Co., and Publish. In addition, the front walls are lined up with cool, fairly recent kicks from Nike, adidas Originals, New Balance, Vans, Reebok, and more. One of the notable set-ups in the front is of the adidas Originals “Back to Campus” Pack. Major designed one of the crisp, rugged-suede Campus 80s in the pack with the signature colors of Georgetown, Navy and Grey. There also were some hot recent releases and a nice cap selection by the counter, and (literally) a ton of kicks (all from about a year ago or more) in the back of the store. Not to mention that the staff in the store was pretty friendy and helpful too. Duk-ki, the store/brand’s owner/founder, was especially eager to talk to Jake and I about both sneakers and schools. I would definitely recommend stopping by Major if you’re anywhere in the D.C.-area, and while I only ended up with a tee from there, I hope to go back sometime soon to get some more of the hot shoes/clothing that they carry! Check below for some shots of the store and shoes available there. (more…)

Blue & Cream Westhampton

On Sole Camp, we usually cover the traditional sneaker boutique-type stores. However, this might not cater to all of you out there. Are you more into high-end fashion? If so, Blue & Cream might just be your personal heaven. The chain, which can be found in SoHo, Westhampton, and East Hampton, specializes in the upscale fashion and general lifestyle that defines these areas. They have stunning accessories (How about RetroSuperFuture sunglasses and watches from Triwa and G-Shock?), premium-quality denim (from the likes of Spurr and Rag & Bone), and an assortment of products from Blue & Cream’s own clothing brand, The Lamptons. Not to mention that Blue & Cream also has a fine selection of sneakers, ranging from old and new Nike SB releases to high-end shoes from Puma. If you’re looking to live like the glamorous celebrities that venture into SoHo and The Hamptons, then you should definitely visit Blue & Cream! Take a quick look at what they have on their website, and visit their three locations today.

Here is our latest sneaker review at Exit 36, this time of the “Metallic Pewter” Air Foamposite One. These release next Saturday, March 19th, at Nike Sportswear retailers, including Exit 36, so start getting your pickup plan ready! I would definitely recommend picking them up at Exit 36 though! Speaking of Exit 36, you should keep up with them in the coming weeks (as always), because they have something big in-store for the near future! Anyways, hope you enjoy the review!

Earlier today, Jake and I ventured into the Upper West Side. We had some good breakfast at Barney Greengrass (on Amsterdam Av. between 86th and 87th street), but our main goal of the day was not to eat breakfast at the best spot in the city. We went to the Upper West Side to check out some cool sneaker stores, and to check out new releases at said stores. So after breakfast, Jake and I went to Blades and West NYC, both located on 72nd street. At the stores, we reviewed some of their latest footwear, and even a future release at West NYC. In addition, when we got home from the city, we filmed a review of Jake’s latest pick-up. Check out the reviews below, and when you get the chance, check out West NYC and Blades.

Nike SB December 2010 Quickstrike Releases: “Yellow Curb” Dunk Low & “Blackout” Dunk High

12/11/10 Releases: “Blackout” Nike LeBron 8, “Altitude” Air Jordan 1 Anodized, & “Altitude” Air Jordan XIII Retro

Sneak Preview: White/Black-Varsity Red Air Jordan XIII Retro

“Loon” Nike SB Dunk Low Premium

Which laces suit you best?

Packer Shoes

It seems like New York City overcasts a huge shadow over New Jersey a majority of the time. Especially when it comes to the sneaker game. There’s no question that New York City has a high concentration of sneaker stores. Heck, there are even two Tier Zero stores in the big city, each within the distance of one subway ride from the other! Well, New Jersey has two great things for sneakerheads. First, in the Garden State, there is no tax on shoes. Instead of paying around $218 for a pair of Foamposites (The “Pearls,” perhaps?), you can just give a New Jersey clerk two $100 dollar bills. More importantly, though, New Jersey, and more specifically Teaneck, is home to Packer Shoes.

Back in the 80′s and 90′s, Nike Skateboarding didn’t exist. The term hypebeast had never been used. Air Jordan Retros were only of original colorways, and barely released. Right when you walk into Packer Shoes, you can see that the guys there are dedicated solely to original sneaker culture. As you look all around the store, you’ll see various original sneaker models from the past in glass displays. These included several Nike Basketball shoes (does the Command Force ring a bell?), original Air Jordans, and other shoes that reigned supreme in the sneaker game of the past. After being struck by awe from the collection of shoes in display in the store, you’ll realize that Packer Shoes’ selection offered to customers also follows the same motif. For sale, they have nothing but retro Nike models (Air Force 1′s, Air Maxes, etc.), adidas Originals (the brand with three stripes was quite dominant in the shoe game of the past), and select models from Air Jordan, Reebok, Puma, FILA, New Balance, Saucony, Asics, and other brands. Have you ever been to a sneaker boutique that carries such a diverse selection of shoes!? That’s right, no you haven’t! Furthermore, for you Swoosh fiends, Packer Shoes has a Tier Zero account with Nike, meaning that the store gets in the most exclusive stuff that the brand has to offer. I would definitely suggest giving Packer Shoes a visit of you’re ever in New Jersey. Stores like this keep the integrity of the shoe game in tact, preventing it from fully transforming into the hype-crazed pandemonium that it seems like today.

Miami is one of the hottest destinations on the planet. It has some of the best beaches, a great party scene, and some great shops, especially in South Beach. On my most recent trip to Miami, I visited many great sneaker stores, and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you all to check out whenever you go down to Miami.

Air Traffic Control

Air Traffic Control (via Sneaker Me Stupid)

Welcome to Miami’s premier consignment sneaker shop, the Flight Club of the South if you must. Located on 16th street, between Washington Ave. and Collins Ave., in South Beach, is Air Traffic Control, which has tons of never-worn Air Force 1′s, Dunks, Jordans, SB’s, Bape’s, and many other sneakers! Even though many of the kicks for sale here are overpriced (like at all consignment sneaker stores), the store’s sleek design and great customer service make up for it. Many of the sneakers are plastic-wrapped and on a backlit display. And the other sneakers are either on a rotating “baggage claim” or in a glass case (the rarest sneakers). In addition, the store is run by a group of friendly guys, with whom I’ve had many interesting sneaker-related conversations whenever I have stopped by the store. Overall, how could you doubt such a great selection, great staff, and great design?

Soles Inc.

Soles Inc. (via Nice Kicks)

Another great sneaker boutique is Soles Inc., located on Washington Ave., between 13th street and 14th street, in South Beach. This boutique has a great selection of Nike Sportswear, Nike Basketball, Jordan, Supra, and Creative Recreation sneakers, in addition to a lot of cool apparel (t-shirts, pants, button-downs, etc.) and accessories (sunglasses, watches, hats, etc.). However, Soles Inc. still had some notable releases sitting on their shelves when I visited the store, such as the Jones Beach AF1′s, Silver Anniversary IX’s, and Eggplant Foams! And they still had For the Love of the Game/Olympic VII’s the day after they released! Also, this store gets in some of the more limited Sportswear and Jordan sneakers, such as the Air Yeezys and the BIN 23 collection. Be sure to check out Soles. Inc and it’s sister store, Rare Footage in the Hard Rock Seminole (which I have yet to visit), on your next trip to Miami.

MIA Skate Shop

MIA Skate Shop (via The Evil Collector)

MIA Skate Shop, located on 9th street in South Beach, is hands down Miami’s best skate shop. They carry great shoes from Adidas Skate, CONS, Vans, and of course, Nike Skateboarding. And like Soles Inc., they don’t sell out of limited shoes too quickly. For example, when I went to MIA on my trip, they still had the Koston dunk highs, Koston dunk lows, Born in the USA dunk highs, and Miller High Life dunk lows. MIA Skate Shop also has great apparel from Nike Skateboarding, Diamond Supply Co., Girl, and many other companies, and tons of skate gear (decks, wheels, etc.). If you are a skater visiting Miami, MIA Skate Shop is a must for you to visit!

Shoe Gallery

Shoe Gallery (via The Life and Times of Sneaker Los)

Yes, there are sneaker stores in Miami outside of South Beach. In fact, Shoe Gallery, one of Miami’s oldest sneaker boutiques, lies in the city-part of Miami. Shoe Gallery has an extremely extensive shoe and clothing selection. The shoe brands include Nike Sportswear, Jordan, Nike Basketball, Adidas Originals, Timberland, Sperry, and Supra, while the clothing comes from a whole bunch of companies that I don’t even know. One interesting part about the store is it’s cool sneaker displays. For example, they displayed the Hamptons AF1′s on top of a pile of sand on a table, and they featured the Infrared AM90′s in a glass case with an Infrared neon-lit “Nike Air”. However, one of the most notable parts about Shoe Gallery is that it is a Tier Zero store, meaning that it gets in the most limited Nike Sportswear shoes, such as (in the past) the Air Yeezys and Livestrong x FLOM Dunks. If you’re in Miami for an extremely limited Sportswear release, be sure to check out Shoe Gallery, because they are bound to have what you’re looking for with some crazy display! But if you’re in need of an exclusive Jordan that is releasing while you’re down in Miami…

Sole Fly

Sole Fly (via Thrill List)

…then I’m sure the guys at Sole Fly could hook you up! Sole Fly is the only sneaker boutique in the nation to establish a personal connection to Michael Jordan himself, one I’m sure that people could see that from the store’s many Jordan related designs, products, and memorabilia. Some of the more interesting Jordan-related things on display in the store are the red Michael Jordan painting/wallpaper (I’m not sure what exactly it is) in the back of the store, the hardwood floor with a circled Jumpman on it, and a basketball hoop with a bunch of Jordan-related pictures on it. Sneaker-wise, Sole Fly carries Nike Sportswear, Nike Basketball, Supra, and (of course) Jordan. Sole Fly also has some Player Exclusive basketball sneakers for sale, which are not seen in many sneaker boutiques at all! In addition, as you could probably guess by now, Sole Fly does receive limited Jordans, such as the BIN 23 collection. One of my favorite parts about the store is it’s excessive cool t-shirt selection, featuring t-shirts made by Jordan Brand, Bobby Fresh, Inked, and Sole Fly themselves. They even collaborated with Jordan Brand on a t-shirt and a couple of Good Woods! Its definitely worth it to check out Sole Fly, which is located in South Miami, even if you’re staying all the way on the beach. And check the cut for the two very exclusive sneakers on display at Sole Fly. (more…)