Hall Of Fame is the brainchild of three well-respected LA heads. Arsen and Vlad were already known around town for their first store, Kendo, a women’s-only sneaker shop; they teamed up with Greg Johnsen, another heavyweight who’s also partnered with Gourmet and owns Situation Normal. Feeling that the hat game was still fairly untouched, the trio joined forces and opened LA’s first hat boutique in May 2007. In their clean, futuristic storefront they carry nothing but the illest lids. Their main focus, though, is on establishing the Hall Of Fame brand by developing product in-house—you already know they have plenty of exclusives in the pipes. In addition to their own growing line, HOF also carries most-wanteds from Huf, Crooks & Castles, 10 Deep, King Stampede, Mighty Healthy, Mishka, Reason, Frank’s Chop Shop…the list goes on. If they got it, it’s hot—and vice versa.

Though the Fairfax District (aka the Rodeo Drive of streetwear) has been booming, Arsen doesn’t consider its popularity such a bad thing. “The culture here in LA has always revolved around the car and the city has always been spread out. Now at least a group of like-minded people and brands have set up shop close together. You can argue that there’s too much of a good thing here on Fairfax, but as time goes on and restaurants and stores that don’t specifically cater to streetwear open here, it’ll round out the block and bring it all together.” Hear, hear.

www.halloffameltd.com

HALL OF FAME LTD.
449 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.655.6002

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In Las Vegas, spending your hard-earned cash at the Spearmint Rhino never gets old. That is, unless you’re DJ Crooked, who partnered up with fellow New Yorker, DJ Neva, and kimchi shoe guru Kenn Davenport to open the Knyew (pronounced “new”) earlier this year. “People were telling me to invest in a house,” says Crooked, “But I’m from New York. Who needs a house?”

Crooked pitched the boutique idea to Neva while they were both resident DJs at Sin City’s famed Jet Nightclub, and it struck a chord. “There was nowhere to go out here. It was a void. I would have to fly home to the East Coast for gear,” says Neva. Wasting no time, they set after the guy who could bring the project together.

“I knew them from the sneaker spot I was working at,” says Kenn Davenport of the DJs. “But one day they come in and they’re asking about the light fixtures instead of the new arrivals; that gave it away. I thought they wanted me to consult or get some contacts but really they were recruiting me.” Raised in Seoul, Korea, Kenn was exposed to the burgeoning footwear industry early on, and his impressive collection and knowledge have made him the go-to guy in Nevada’s small streetwear community.

With the people in place, Crooked and Neva parlayed their top-tier position in Lost Wages’ over-saturated nightlife industry. Considered marquee DJs around town and beyond, they are in a unique position, being both highly visible to the constant onslaught of visitors and friendly with the other DJs, whether resident or featured. “We do well because our clientele run in those circles,” Crooked points out. “So we have a network and resources where marketing is concerned. It opens doors to select the brands we want to work with.”

But the Knyew Boutique is not alone is widening the choices in Las Vegas. Stores like Undefeated have recently rolled into town, hoping to plant a little culture in the desert. Though it’s not a contest, Neva is quick to express: “Any boutique you walk into out here, if they are doing it right, you will get a sense of their culture. It’s all about looking fresh, always about style, having swagger. It benefits Vegas overall. We wanted to bring a piece of us to it, bring that New York culture. I mean, Knyew stands for Keeping New York Every Where.”

Located in Chinatown, the shop is just a jump from the Strip, making easy access for anybody patient enough to weather a casino cab line. But that’s a small price to pay to experience something as unique to Las Vegas as the trapeze act at Circus Circus. Filling the niche that it does, Knyew is bound to become LV’s destination for those who don’t rock button downs and hair gel to clubs, or drink “yards” of margarita from long plastic tubes.  

3735 Spring Mountain Rd., Suite 206

Las Vegas, NV  89102

702.252.5212

www.knyew.com

Graham Funke

Brad Baker and Patty Bowman opened Trackstar back in June, 2004, planting their flag in Manhattan’s Lower East Side for, as Brad puts it, “the short ride across the bridge, plus the LES is where we all drink before going home to Brooklyn.” Since it opened, Trackstar has become heavily involved in every aspect of the New York and East Coast cycling scene, from velodrome races to bicycle polo tournaments, with their biggest event to date, the New York City Courier Classic, coming in July. The store carries too many top brands to name, with Cinelli, IRO and anything from Japan going out the door as quickly as the UPS man brings it in. On top of sporting a full-service shop with two full-time mechanics, Trackstar is also a pro wheel building shop, lacing spokes into over 3,000 wheels a year. The people at Trackstar know their shit, but there’re no big egos here. “We’re kinda like Cheers, but with bikes,” says Patty. “Although there is still beer and tomfoolery involved.” So for bike service with a smirk, you know where to go.

www.TrackstarNYC.com

231 Eldridge St.
New York, NY 10002
212.982.2553

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