West NYC
M-Sa 10am-7:45pm; Su 11am-5:45pm
“Sneaker culture is very strong,” employee Roger DaCosta shared with me when I sat down on West NYC’s comfy, bright blue, suede couch. The store caters to an “urban and straight forward” crowd, who know what they want and know they will find it on West 72nd Street. The shop often features collaborations with brands like New Balance and Saucony, designed by employee Al Rivera, and produced in small quantities of under a thousand. When a limited edition is released, customers flock to the store. Some will camp outside to make sure they will be one of the elite few to sport the sneaker. Al told us that when his “Alpine Guy” shoe became available, there was a line around the corner for five hours.
Lester, son of Danny Wasserman – whose family celebrated their seventy-fifth anniversary of the Upper West Side staple, Tip Top Shoes in 2015 – recognized the need and desire of people in the neighborhood for a specialty shop that focused on sneakers. After receiving years of training from his dad, he opened his own store in 2007. It became an instant success, attracting people from around the city. In addition to the clever concept, I believe that it is the genuine interest and strong passion that the guys who run the show have for the products that they sell. On any given day, one can walk into West NYC and find a group gathered in a heated conversation about sneakers – the style, the comfort, the price and, of course, the customer who will wear them.