#2 - FEB 2025
Your definitive guide to Sneaker copping in Philly + John’s review of the Black Metallic Jordan 5 + New HC for Feb ‘25
PLAYLIST:
Far From Breaking - The Identity
Everybody Takes One - Positive Crew Demo
Iron Age - The Sleeping Eye
George Clanton - Slide
Youth Of Today - Can’t Close My Eyes
Oklou - Choke Enough
A ‘Coreman’s Guide to Sneaker Copping in Philly.
March is upon us, which means that the premiere rebirth of hardcore pride event of the year draws near: REBIRTH RECORDS SHOWCASE WEEKEND.
Since a ton of people have told me they’re coming to town for the weekend, I figured this would be a perfect time to outline a guide to picking up kicks in Philadelphia. Maybe you need a new pair of 95’s to rock in the Breakdown pit. Maybe you’ve been saving all year and are ready to buy that pair of Chicago 1’s you been lookin’ at in old Integrity photos. Maybe you’re just gonna have some extra time to kill between gigs. Either way, we got you covered:
2nd Street Vintage • 501 South St
2nd Street Vintage is one of the most hit or miss spots to cop in Philly. Somewhere between a thrift store and a consignment shop, there’s always going to be some cool shit there, but the pricing on it is wildly inconsistent. As is the case with most “vintage” spots, you’ve just gotta get lucky with who priced the particular item you’re looking at on the day it came in. Sometimes GR dunks will be triple retail, sometimes Fire Red 4s will be 85 bucks (a real cop I made at this spot!) It’s definitely a fun place to hit thanks to the variety of what they’ve got and because you never know what to expect. Across Broad in Rittenhouse there is a second location that’s certainly worth your time, but for my money I’ve always unearthed better finds at the one on South Street.
Lapstone & Hammer • 1106 Chestnut St
Lapstone & Hammer has largely stepped up and filled the void left by the closing of Atmos (RIP) last summer. Lapstone is all retail/no resale, so you will see a lot of cool GR shoes with some limited stuff sprinkled in all priced at retail. Nike, Jordan, Salomon, NB, Saucony, ASICS, it’s all here, as well as good selection of other sneaker related shit from clothes to coffee table books. This is my go-to spot to go check out a shoe in person that I’ve seen pictures of online and are unsure about how it is gonna look in real life or fit on foot. L&H has gotten some more high profile releases lately, including their own collab with ASICS last year and getting to be one of the only stores to carry the recent Bred 1 release.
Status • 432 South St
Status can be found on South Street on the same corner as 2nd Street, meaning a visit to this area gives you a lot of bang for your buck in terms of shoe hunting. A good variety of shoes can be found here and occasionally there will be solid sales, but for the most part, you need to show up prepared to pay StockX resale prices. With that said, if you’re willing to shell out the big bucks, there’s almost always gonna be whatever you’re lookin’ for here…
Vault 215 • 424 South St
I’ll be honest: this is my least favorite spot on this list, but its proximity to the other South Street locations on the list make it worth a visit. This is your pretty run of the mill “the sneakers are wrapped in plastic” type resale store. I’ve never actually copped anything from here but I do pop in from time to time. Maybe you’ll have better luck than me. Also worth noting, there’s a Snipes and Foot Locker both right across the street you can hit if you’re looking for something that a big-box chain like that carries.
Common Ground • 134 S 11th St
Since the closing of Atmos (again… RIP), Common Ground has become my favorite spot in Philly. What’s cool about this store is it’s half preowned/resale/consignment and half new stuff, so you get the best of both worlds. The prices on the pre-owned shoes are far and away the best of any store in the area, and they’re always getting in new stuff. Staff here is also generally super chill and not snobby, which is always a plus. It’s right around the corner from Lapstone & Hammer, making for a dope 1-2-punch. If you only go to one spot looking to cop while in Philly, go here and test your luck in the used section.
Samsun Footwear • 532 South St
Samsun Footwear on South Street is a one trick pony: they have GR New Balances, a TON of GR New Balances, and nothing BUT GR New Balances, many of which are often marked down to below-retail prices. It genuinely feels like a store frozen in time where the world turned and left them behind and they never learned that NB is a popular brand now. If you’re looking for a cheap new pair of 1906’s or 2002’s to stomp on the Wreckage dance floor with, their ignorance is your gain.
P’s & Q’s • 820 South St
This is probably the most niche spot on the list, but one of my favorites. The footwear selection is small and specific, usually focusing on Saucony and New Balance stuff, but there’s always cool shit to be found. Additionally, a lot of cool tech pants and outerwear, as well as books, home decorations and bullshit like that. It’s got a very “curated” vibe, but the guys who run it are super down to earth. Worth visiting for sure.
Suplex • 624 South St
While we’re certainly far removed from the glory days of Suplex’s rightful claim to South Street sneaker store supremacy, it’s still a cool spot worth scoping out. While it was once a fully dedicated sneaker store (the best one on south street), Suplex has since downsized its shoe selection in favor of a more “vintage clothes” oriented shop, but it still has some decent sneaker deals to be found. It’s also now next to the Suplex Wrestling location which sells pro wrestling merch and toys, if any of you freaks are into that…
Totem • 535 South St
Simply put: Totem is GORP heaven. If that’s your vibe, this is the place to be. Here you’ll find tech backpacks, pants and outerwear, hiking clothes and of course sneakers. If you’re looking for Salomon, Merrell, Keen or sneakers of a similarly outdoors-but-still-cool vibe, this is your go-to spot. They’ve got two storefronts a few doors apart, so make sure you pay a visit to both.
Happy hunting, see you at Rebirth Fest!
Jordan 5 Black Metallic Reimagined - Reviewed by John (Scarab, Devil Master, Final Resting Place, Philadelphia Hardcore Sneaker Aficionado)
In the manga Duel Monsters (aka Yugioh) shortly before buying a pair of the Air Muscle (Air max 95, but changed for obvious copyright concerns), the character Joey Wheeler exclaims,”THIS IS D-DEFINITELY IT!!!”. That’s kinda how I felt opening the box for the 2025 Jordan 5 Black Metallic Reimagined for the first time. Well…sort of. My feelings about the shoe quickly soured the longer I held it. Don’t get me wrong, this is a gorgeous shoe and they did a good job for the most part. But in true Nike fashion there is a caveat, there is always a caveat.
The Reimagined series of shoes has been divisive to say the least. From the downright bad all suede Jordan 1 Royals (all suede?!What are you fuckin stupid?). To the some what maligned all leather treatment of the Bred 4 Reimagined. To the mixed bag reactions to the faux aged look of the Jordan 1 Chicago Lost and Founds. To the absolute triumph that is the White Cement 3. In all this speaks to a larger trend at Nike lately. What they are essentially telling you, the consumer is “No, actually! This what you really wanted!” Let me be the first to say Nike has officially lost the fucking plot here. To hammer this home we get the announcement of a release for the most accurate to spec version of the original 1985 Jordan 1 Bred to date. What does Nike do? They make it wholly unattainable to the general public. The reason why? Well according to Nike and sneaker publications, only some people deserve them. What Nike is saying here is FUCK YOU!! “Oh this thing you wanted? Yeah, we are gonna make it bad some how!”
While that tangent might not seem applicable in this case, somehow it is. While I relish over the fact that I get to own a new pair of Black Metallic 5’s, I can’t help but feel like I was duped. My point being, in true Nike fashion they decided to change something. Something that completely didn’t need to be changed. That being the Nike Air logo on the heel of the shoe. So for some unknown reason it’s smaller and no longer embroidered on the shoe? Why Nike? Is this version accurate to a sketch they found in Tinker Hatfield’s sock drawer? Who cares!? Just make the shoes normal! While we watch other footwear companies dominate the landscape, I can’t help but feel like Nike is floundering. Their plan seems confused to say the least.
While companies like ASICS and New Balance are dominating the market it feels like Nike is rehashing shoes that no one asked for. Pulling out once coveted sneakers from the vault and changing them for some unknown reason. It feels like some kind of multi dimensional gaslighting is going on. Shoes one could have only dreamed of 10-15 years ago hitting the sales rack. The Black Toe Jordan 1, complete with the once fabled black tongue? Yeah it’s back! But it looks like crap somehow. The Wu-tang dunk, a shoe that lived in total infamy at one point: ABSOLUTELY BRICKING!? Sometimes it just feels like we shifted into an alternate timeline. This is all to say that things are looking grim for Nike right now. Let’s hope under new (old) leadership we see a return to the innovation that once made them so great. Until then, I’ll be waiting in my good but not great pair of Black Metallic 5s.
- John
February 2025 New HC Round Up
Direct Order - Demo • Yeah, this is the good stuff right here. I don’t know whats in the water in Canada right now, but they’ve been pumping out badass demos left and right. This band picks up where Discrepancy left off. Really cool demo!
Identity Shock - Traces • More punk leaning but still undoubtedly HARDCORE. I liked their first demo a lot and I’m glad they’re back with more. Sounds like early-era YOT when it was more rabid sounding before they got super anthemic.
Disguised - Promo • This shit makes me feel old as hell. Not in a bad way though. I’ve been a fan of this band since their demo came out, and they’re doing straight up Reaper Records ‘core as a throwback style. I’m glad this exists.
Mongrel - Baptized In The Gutter • I’m mostly not really into a lot of the current crop of death metal-hardcore fusion that’s happening right now, with a few exceptions. This is absolutely one of the exceptions. Just crazy ass hard music. Psychotic ass shit. Caught them live a few weeks ago at the time I’m writing this, and they were absolutely crushing live as well. Hope to get an LP from this band in the future.
Overload - Demo • Demented ass new band (positive connotation) from Syracuse. The YOT/Infest influence here is very apparent, but this doesn’t sound like a straight rip off as they mix in some other influences. This sounds like the Repos if they recorded their record not with a toaster and liked more moshcore. These are some of the best gang vocals I’ve heard in forever. Burke on the mic!
Dead On Your Feet - Demo • New straight edge hardcore that sounds straight out of the early 00’s. One of my favorite demos in forever. If you’re into Count Me Out and Carry On, this one is definitely for you. Caught their first show recently and seeing them live was just as cool as hearing it recorded. New contender for best shoe game in Hardcore in 2025? Maybe… see below and decide for yourself.
Thanks for reading. As always, all photos were taken by me unless stated otherwise. Hardcore is alive and well and we’re lookin good moving into the Spring of ‘25. Keep an eye out for new Face The Pain material on Youngblood this Summer.
Lastly, In case you missed it, we’re doing a pop-up swap at BlahBlah Art Gallery Friday night before the fest (3/21) where we’ll be posted up with friends and constituents alike slinging and trading sneakers, records, zines, merch, outerwear… all the good shit.
PEACE
- Lennon