Feature Sneaker Boutique are gearing up to unveil its first-ever New York pop-up shop to help celebrate the recent Diadora x Feature N.9000 ‘Pistacchio’ collaboration. Hosted in conjunction with their pals over at Extra Butter, collaborative merch from brands like Billionaire Boys Club and K-Way will also be on display for preview and purchase. Set to an ice cream shop-themed motif, Feature also plans to showcase its New York-exclusive ATG apparel. Click through the images above for a better look at the ATG collection. Feature Sneaker Boutique NYC Pop-Up Shop New York, NY 10002 Friday July 8, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday July 9, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday July 10, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. What to Read NextNothing lasts forever except roaches and Twinkies. Sheepshead Bay, all cursed corners aside, has seen more than its fair share of businesses come and go. Some of them have been less than stellar, like the weird haircutting/mixtape/tattoo parlor that briefly operated on Nostrand Avenue.
But beyond the hit-and-runs we’ve encountered, we’ve lost a lot of neighborhood staples, and others that could have easily grown into that status. Here are five that I really miss. Long before Morris Discount closed up shop on Sheepshead Bay Road, and dozens of 99 Cent stores infected Nostrand Avenue like the plague, there was McCrory’s. Today, Party City boasts deals on balloons and a bargain costume basement; but when I first moved to Sheepshead Bay, it was a good old five-and-dime. Part department store, part junk shop, McCrory’s was one of the last vestiges of old variety stores, and seemingly around the same time we lost the penny candy displays in Pathmark, too. 4. Pizzeria Del Corso It may have been a relatively new addition, but Del Corso’s pizza had truly great pizza. Their white slice was unrivaled if you ask me. The pizza, though amazing, was by no means the best option. They had homemade gnocchi and amazing eggplant appetizers. The quality of the cheese they used raised the bar on Italian food in Sheepshead Bay.
We may have our fair share of places to choose from, but we lost a great option when Del Corso closed. Beefsteaks were 19th Century dinners where men would gorge on various cuts of meat, usually in support of a politician or whatnot. The Beefsteak Charlie’s chain was a place where, for a paltry sum, people could eat a bunch of ribs and endless sangria. That was until it was converted into the medical facility it houses now, trading in the all-you-can-eat fare for a prescription of much-needed Lipitor. It seems Sheepshead Bay was once a great venue for discount feasts, having also hosted The Sizzler and then For Goodness Steak, where Applebee’s now stands. Cheap meat, salad and corny decor for everyone! 2. Fun Time USA Whether you were playing Gauntlet Legends or skee ball on the second floor, Laser Tag on the 3rd, or careening into each other in the bumper cars on the first floor, Fun Time USA always delivered. Sometimes it was packed with kids. Sometimes the floor underneath the batting cages were breaking because so many people came to get Sable’s autograph (personally, I preferred Kane’s).
But Fun Time USA was probably the greatest thing to come and leave Sheepshead Bay, for regardless of how old you were, you could enjoy it. I mourn the loss of Laser Tag the most, but I spent more time, and still have a ridiculous amount of tickets to redeem. But all we can do now is store our memories alongside our ugly winter sweaters in the storage units that replaced it. 1. Pip’s Comedy Club The comedic stomping grounds of Andrew Dice Clay, Richard Belzer and even a young Lisa Lampanelli, this once iconic goldmine of talent is now another sushi bar. For a long time it was one of the only entertainment draws of the neighborhood. With its close, all we have left are “nightclubs” and the movie theater. It’s a shame that there’s not enough interest to keep the chuckles alive, but in its heyday Pips attracted greats like Rodney Dangerfield and Jerry Seinfeld. Today, Mambo Sushi attracts a slightly different crowd, but all seem to agree that, although it’s not much to chuckle at, there’s still plenty of rollin’ (half price?)!
(Photo by Bobby Bank)What former Sheepshead Bay businesses do you miss? Mike has found himself hosting a lively discussion about this neighborhood.We don't rent or sell your personal information to anyone. Details, however small, can make quite an impact. A simple stitch can add a feminine flair or a bold design element. A buckle can add a subtle touch or an aggressive brand statement. A sole can be sleek or rugged. These intricate details create the spirit of freedom that is the heart and sole of Harley-Davidson® Footwear. The motorcycle lifestyle is all about freedom. Harley-Davidson is about freedom to ride, freedom of style, and freedom of expression. Be it blowing down a back road with your boots perched up on your pegs or showing off to your friends at work, it’s your choice. Harley-Davidson shoes, boots, and slippers are made to fit your lifestyle. Whether you want to hop on your motorcycle and hit the road or look sexy for a night on the town you can’t go wrong with Harley-Davidson.
Boots with attitude, heels with personality, and slippers with style; Harley-Davidson has it all.BALTIMORE, Md.—Michael Phelps and Under Armour were, in a sense, born at the same moment. The performance sports apparel brand was founded here in Baltimore in 1996 by Kevin Plank. That same year, Phelps—then an 11-year-old kid from the Baltimore suburbs—began to train under coach Bob Bowman at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. The rest is history. In 2000, at age 15, Phelps made the U.S. Olympic team for the Sydney Games, and while he didn't medal, he did finish fifth in the 200-meter butterfly. The following spring, still 15 years old, he became the youngest swimmer ever to set a world record—in the same 200-meter butterfly event. In 2004, in Athens, he won his first eight Olympic medals, including six golds, beginning a run that has netted him a record 22 Olympic medals in all, and a staggering 18 golds—including a record eight golds (in eight events) at the Beijing Games in 2008.
The most decorated Olympian in the history of the planet will almost certainly add to his total in Rio, which he firmly says—and you can believe him this time—will be his last Olympics. Under Armour's growth, of course, wasn't as meteoric. It takes more time for companies to rule the world. But in the sports apparel business, UA is now a solid No. 2 to Nike, and gaining all the time. It had sales of $3.96 billion in 2015, up 28 percent from the year before, and forecasts sales of $7.5 billion by 2018. (That's still just a fraction of Nike's sales, currently about $30 billion a year.) Just as important, it has that buzz—the thrum of an underdog nipping at the master's heels. UA attributes much of its success to relentless innovation and a singular vision. (In a mid-'90s world obsessed with loose-fitting and low-cost, UA went with tight-fitting and premium.) But it can also be credited to the brand's endorsers, and how they're framed in the advertising. This is a company that chooses wisely, and then helps to mold an athlete's image carefully, focusing on the journey rather than the destination.
In 2013, UA took a chance on Stephen Curry for less than $4 million a year, after Nike balked, and now has him locked down through 2024—in what may prove to be the best signing since Nike recruited Jordan. UA also hit the jackpot with golfer Jordan Spieth, signing him to a 10-year deal shortly before he won two majors last year and rocketed to the No. 1 ranking. Phelps is a little different, of course. He's not an athlete who's in the spotlight every day, or every month. He mostly gets attention quadrennially, during the Olympics. But UA is clearly going big with Phelps this year, ahead of what should be a closely watched and hopefully heartwarming trip to Rio. A UA endorser since 2010, Phelps got a hero's welcome when he arrived at the brand's Locust Point headquarters here in Baltimore on Tuesday. He spoke to the media, offered a glimpse into his workout routine and raved about his new Under Armour ad from Droga5—a beautiful, haunting 90-second tribute that shows Phelps at his most raw and solitary, summing up his decades of cold pools and sacrifice out of the spotlight.
"For me, it's without question an honor to have my own spot," Phelps, 30, told Adweek as he reflected on his place in the UA advertising pantheon, which has famously included stars like Curry, Misty Copeland, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen. "To have a spot done like this one was, it's remarkable. It shows the raw things I've gone through to get to the point where I'm at. And that's something a lot of the public hasn't seen." He added: "It brought tears to my eyes, it brought tears to [fiancée] Nicole's eyes. My mother, without question, tears—multiple times during the commercial. And the music makes it, too. I think it's a deep commercial, and it's really incredible how they did it." It really did make Phelps cry, too. In a sly bit of in-house content creation, UA filmed Phelps and Nicole watching the ad for the first time. She is practically weeping by the end, and Phelps himself wipes away a tear. Check out that footage here: New #RuleYourself spot featuring @MichaelPhelps drops tomorrow.
See his emotional reaction the first time he saw it.https://t.co/gc6OclXLOB — Under Armour (@UnderArmour) March 7, 2016 While Under Armour is still well behind Nike in terms of revenue, some would argue it has leveled the playing field in terms of quality advertising. Where Nike has long excelled with a combination of flash and humor, UA goes for a gritty, lived feel—getting viewers closer to the beauty and brutality of high-level sports. Asked if he thought Under Armour had equalled or surpassed Nike in terms of exciting advertising, Phelps diplomatically half-dodged the question—saying simply that no one should underestimate Plank, the former University of Maryland football captain who started Under Armour from nothing. "I was telling Kevin while I was here, I'm amazed at how much they've been able to do, even just in the last year," Phelps said. "Kevin is literally one of the biggest visionaries I've ever met in my entire life. For him, the sky is the absolute limit.
I'm sure he will do everything and anything to get to No. 1, if he's not there now."Well, Phelps says he's never even tried on one of their sneakers. "For me, growing up in Baltimore, Under Armour is the sports line. It's what I grew up with my whole life," he said. "I don't know another brand. To be honest, I have never worn a pair of Nikes in my entire life. I couldn't even wear Nikes when I was with Speedo, before Under Armour. I've literally never tried on a pair of Nike shoes." (He later backtracks on this a little, and admits to having worn them on the podium when Nike was a team sponsor. But he insists he's never done so recreationally.) Asked whether he has an expanded role with UA during this Olympic year, Phelps said just wants to do anything he can to help Plank succeed. "I think if you ask all the athletes—we'll do anything we can to help promote his brand," he said. "They don't have to ask me to put on a shirt. I walk out of the house every day in shorts and a T-shirt, or a sweatshirt and sweats, a pair of sneakers.
You can wear a quarter zip to dinner, you can wear a polo to dinner, you can wear a button-down to dinner. They have literally everything. It's comfortable, and it's what I live in." He added with a smile: "I'm a good shoe salesman, too. I know all the shoes. You have any shoe questions?" It's been a long four years since London 2012, the last time Phelps was squarely in the public eye—and, in his own estimation, underperformed at the Games because of a lack of motivation. Most gallingly, he was out-touched at the wall in the final of the 200-meter butterfly, one of his longtime signature events, losing by 5/100ths of a second. Phelps is normally the guy who out-touches his rivals, and that loss clearly still bothers him—he mentioned it several times Tuesday—even though he did win six medals, including four golds, in London. The new Droga commercial certainly reintroduces Phelps to the public in style. But the backstory is different this time. Phelps, who will soon be married and is expecting his first child in May, says he has never been so happy in his life, or so committed to swimming—and it is showing in his performances.
(Astonishingly, Phelps claims he's never really given 100 percent in the pool, not even in Beijing in 2008, when he won those eight gold medals, a record for a single Games. That performance, he says, was more about having banked strength through years of preparation than a 100 percent effort on the day. This, by the way, is the depth of Phelps' confidence—this weird pride he has sometimes taken in being the best while not having to try that hard.) Phelps may well have to give 100 percent to make the podium in August. And it's clear this isn't the ambivalent Phelps of London. He is undoubtedly past his prime, and has nothing to prove, yet this time he's not using either as an excuse. In other words, it's fully believable that this is the legendary champion giving everything for one last shot at glory. That's a great story, one UA can squarely get behind, and may help explain why the brand released the new spot so early—a full five months before the Games kick off in August.