Let’s play a game — word association, but with phrases.
I say, “Model Café.” You say, “rank bathrooms.”
I say, “Harvard Ave.” You say, “DL Polonsky’s shitty drawings.”
I say, “Re:generation Records.” You say, “people so punk they spit on their mother’s kitchen floor.”
I say, “Horror Business.” You say, “that buff, sleeved dude who talked about rebuilding a baby in last week’s Phoenix.”
I say, “super-expensive Nikes.” You say, “huh?”
I say, “AWOL.” You say, “George Bush?”
Allston-Brighton isn’t the first neighborhood that comes to mind as a place to get a pair of crazy-cool sneakers. That would be Harvard Square, or Newbury Street, or the Christian Science area. But as of earlier this month, a brand-new independently owned sneaker-and-streetwear shop named AWOL opened on Harvard Avenue — a pavement stretch better known for tattoos than for Artful Dodger hoodies.
“We realized that in the Brighton area there wasn’t a store like this,” says Peter Lam, one of AWOL’s three co-owners. “Street culture is all, like, booming. We wanted to do something with it, and we’re all really into this type of clothing.” He means the rest of the gear that goes along with limited-edition-sneaker fetishes: hoodies, oversize T-shirts, straight-brimmed New Era hats.
AWOL is the third high-end sneaker/streetwear store that’s opened in the past year. A year ago, there was only Concepts, at the back of the Tannery. “The culture’s always been huge, but I think it’s starting to get really big in Boston” says another AWOL partner, Tam Lee. “The city’s actually really late to catch on to the whole scene.”
One of the most amazing things non-shoe-obsessed neighbors have noticed is that unlike some too-cool-for-school sneaker shops, the clerks at AWOL are actually nice. Even to people with beards, flight jackets, and plain ol’ Sauconys.
“We would never judge anybody,” says Lam. “We’re trying to be supportive. Just by walking in, they’re helping us pay the rent.”
AWOL, 180 Harvard Avenue, in Allston, is open Monday through Thursday, 11:30 am to 7 pm; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 am to 8 pm; and Sunday, noon to 6 pm | 617.787.0600.
