Sneaker Drama!

From a new contributor:
How did a nice Italian boy from Park Slope wind up on Church Ave.? Marco Nucci, co-owner of the new Sneaker Drama store on Church between E. 4th and E. 5th had his heart set on moving onto Cortelyou Rd., right in the spot where the new Connecticut Muffin opened . At the last minute his deal fell through. He was driving back and forth, bringing his dad some decent food in the hospital, and trying to avoid the dreadful traffic on Ocean Parkway. He decided to take a shortcut down MacDonald and across Church. He saw lots of street traffic and lots of kids. He saw a vacant optical shop. He negotiated with the landlord and got his store with a ten year lease.
Sneaker Drama opened on Sept. 1. It is a beautiful, boutique style hip hop sneaker and clothing store. Marco and his partner Alvin Cruz sell sneakers from $50 to $150, t-shirts from $20 to $130, and jeans from $50 to $140. They sell a full line of Nikes, from running to walking to “looking cool”shoes. Kids are talking, and kids are coming. Marco has made it clear that he will “take care of neighborhood kids” to enable them to buy his product, even going so far as to put things on “layaway” for them. He will special order things that kids want if they don’t see it in the store. The kids are thrilled, and their parents are happy to keep them close to home, rather than sending them off to Fulton Mall or Flatbush Ave. Nike reps have visited, and are impressed with the style and attitude of the store.
Marco would love to see a nice bar/restaurant, coffee shop, health food store, and wine merchant move into the nabe. He is so determined to see this happen that he might actually open a restaurant himself. He is an energetic young entrepreneur who wants to serve the needs of the people in the neighborhood. He plans to hire a neighborhood teen to start working in the store in the near future, and he wants him or her to bring their friends.
Let’s spread the word about Sneaker Drama and wish Marco and Alvin the best of luck in their Church Ave. location.