A new kind of pawn shop is set to open on Lenox Avenue and West 120th Street, but don’t expect to hock your gold or electronics there. Inside, high-end and dead-stock sneakers are awaiting those passionate enough about footwear to lay down $1260 for Nike LeBron 10 Crown Jewel or $1000 for Air Jordan 1 Doernbecher Charity sneakers. And Chase Reed (a 10th-grader at Frederick Douglass Academy), his father Troy, and Rahsaan “Uncle Bless” Capers are awaiting those in need of pawning these prized possessions.
The store officially opens in the next few weeks, but ANIMAL stopped by today for a sneak preview at the offerings — the well-preserved, new and rare sneakers, many no longer made.
Once a bid is placed, the pawn shop allows sellers the right of first refusal and the opportunity to buy back the only coveted, relative-luxury items of young people in the neighborhood. See what’s currently in store in the gallery above. (Photos: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)
