During my hunt for the Nike Air Yeezy I found The Darkside Initiative to be my best chance at actually obtaining the sneaker. Located on Powell at Filbert, Darkside is probably one of the best streetwear/sneaker spots in San Francisco if not the country.
Not only did they sell the very valuable shoe at a reasonable price, they were honest through all the madness. Other shops receiving the coveted sneaker were less than honest about shipments and pricing as to avoid dealing with campers (people waiting outside the store for days, sometimes weeks, to ensure the opportunity to buy the shoe).
Of course they have the tier 0 Nike account, which entitles them to carry the best, most limited Nike products. For example, the most recent tier 0 releases were the Air Yeezy and the Livestrong FLOM dunk. They also carry some of the most prized Japanese streetwear labels such as Neighborhood and WTaps, both of which cannot be found anywhere else in the Bay Area.
On top of the prime selection of clothes and kicks they know how to treat the customer, unlike some of our other local “streetwear” retailers. They’re always helpful but never pushy. After speaking with the owner, Colin Miller, I got a feel for why the shop operates the way it does.
He says they have respect for every customer and vendor (check the yelp reviews) and operates independent of any larger corporation. Nearly everything in store reflects his personal style and he probably doesn’t stock much of anything he wouldn’t wear himself, which is how streetwear and sneakers should be done. If you haven’t been to Darkside, go there and check it out, it’s cool.
