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Illustration by Dennis Eriksson
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For the Jordan Purist
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- Jordan Heads Brooklyn
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302 Malcolm X Blvd., nr. MacDonough St., Bedford-Stuyvesant; 347-690-0325
From $100 Wolf Grey 1s to $1,000 Derek Jeter retirement exclusives, this 333-square-foot shrine to MJ deals exclusively in shrink-wrapped Air Jordans for the collector’s mantel, the vast majority of which are no longer in production.
For the Rockaway Dude
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- BucketFeet
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266 Elizabeth St., nr. Houston St.; 212-226-8102
This Chicago-based company’s signature canvas sneaker (available in slip-on, lace, and high-top varieties from $68) lends itself to going sockless. It’s also a blank canvas for 4,000 amateur and professional artists—hailing everywhere from Phoenix to Colombia to Nepal—who doodle and paint colorful patterns for men, women, and kids. Their brand-new “studio” in Nolita doubles as a rotating exhibition space for featured artists and peddles prints from $150, in addition to the artist-designed sneaks and socks.
For the Whole Family
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- Roc N’ Sole
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492 Atlantic Ave., nr. Nevins St., Boerum Hill; 718-576-3317
Founded by three Roc-A-Fella Records expats—in the shadow of Barclays Center—this shop is frequented by celebrities including Meek Mill, Kevin Hart, and Neo. In addition to rare finds like all-white King Push x EQT Adidas, they stock all of the mainline Adidas (from $59), as well as Pumas and Reeboks, plus kids’ sizes.
For the Instagram Celebrity
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- Kith
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644 Broadway, nr. Bleecker St.; 646-648-6285
Brooklyn-based Snarkitecture helped redesign Ronnie Fieg’s luxury-sneaker shop last fall, making room for more paparazzi-friendly neoprene Y-3’s and pebbled-leather Buscemi high-tops ($865), not to mention branded Kith hoodies and health-goth sweatpants.
For the Baller
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- Sneaker Pawn USA
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200 Lenox Ave., nr. 120th St.; 917-403-0990
Seventeen-year-old Chase Reed and his father, Troy, opened the city’s first pawnshop for rare and deadstock sneakers last summer and keep LeBrons and Jordans on heavy rotation. They pocket 20 percent of each consignment sale (a rare pair of Nike Air Mags from Back to the Future might bring in $10,000).
For the Start-up Bro
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- Feit
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2 Prince St., nr. Bowery; 212-226-8600
Aussie brothers Tull and Josh Price’s ecoluxury brand takes inspiration from skateboard sneakers and dress shoes: the silhouette of the former, and the hand-stitched buttery leather of the latter. Their two-tone take on the classic canvas court sneaker (from $540) pairs well with suits and silky sheath dresses.