Style Retail Spotlight: CRSVR (Santa Barbara)

STORE: CRSVR

CITY: Santa Barbara, CA

SINCE: 2008

FOUNDED BY: DJ Vice, Nick Sakai, Asaf Dimant, & Mark Lawrence

PRICES: $$$ (out of 5)

WHY WE COSIGN: It baffles us that in 2009, companies still don’t understand the importance of real-world and online synergy. Take sneaker boutiques for instance: Finding a dope sneaker shop is task in of itself. And harder still is finding an online store that stays stocked with the latest and doesn’t look like a GeoCities page. So when we discovered CRSVR, we knew we struck oil. This boutique’s owners understand the demand for exclusives and the need for a pleasing shopping experience. Sick brands matched with a sick in-store experience and a dope online design make for one helluva place to shop.

Meeting in ‘08 during a flight to Santa Barbara, DJ Vice and Nick Sakai immediately recognized their passion for sneakers and wasted no time setting up plans to open their own shop. Inspired by the culture they were very much a part of, these instant homies kept every aspect in mind when crafting the direction for the store. The shop features an in-house DJ to keep customers in the buying mood and a staff that has no problem answering your questions (no too-cool cocky types here). Also the lyrics to EPMD’s “Crossover” are written across the back wall, letting folks know that CRSVR will never sell out—unless your talking inventory. Zing!

BRANDS CARRIED: Nike, Supra, Five Four Clothing, Brixton, Ever Clothing, The Hundreds, Mishka, In4Mation, Orisue, Stussy, Future Heretics, Ransom Clothing, Fyasko Clothing, Dim Mak, G-Shock, and Nooka.

Read on for our interview with DJ Vice, pics of the store, and the address/web site…