The Hype LI Brings Hard-To-Find Shoes And Urban Wear To LI

CORAM, NY—Sneakerheads and fans of urban street wear are used to checking all over for rare or trendy gear, from apps dedicated to sneaker trading, to long trips to New York City or beyond to find the must-have item. Four Coram men decided to capitalize on their years in that fashion subculture, and their ability to find the hot buys, and opened a storefront in Coram in November.

DayShawn Andrews, Yardley Bonhumme, Kristoff Galloway and Eric Lee told Patch that they've always been into sneakers and clothes and are used to finding merchandise through a variety of sources. The Hype Long Island, 1879 Route 112, was a natural extension of that experience.

"It seems easy but it's not," Bonhomme said. "A lot of it is just having those sources, and knowing what people want next."

The shop sells sneakers, menswear, women's and children's clothing. The owners, who all graduated from Longwood High School together, post new items daily like Yeezy and Air Jordan sneakers on social media, and most tend to get snatched up quickly.

"We have people coming from all over, as far as Brooklyn, Staten Island," they explained.

Customers like that the shop can vouch for the authenticity of the sneakers, when some of the items found on apps or social media can be inauthentic. And Bonhomme says that immediacy of a brick and mortar location still has value in 2021.

"People want it now. They come in, they see it, it's in their face, they are shopping for that day or a special occasion and they want it now."

The store can also help people find a wanted item—customers can leave a deposit and the foursome will find it—something parents might appreciate around the holiday season.

The friends say they may want to expand in the future but for now they are focusing on the potential of the Coram store, and testing out new types of merchandise to see what areas they can expand into next.