The Upper West Side (UWS) of Manhattan is home to the Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts, the American Museum of Natural History, and the bucolic western spine that is Riverside Park, not to mention the setting for Seinfeld and the fictitious Arconia (real-life Belnord) apartment building of Only Murders in the Building.
The UWS is also home to Zabar’s, the fourth-generation, family-run supermarket at 80th Street and Broadway. The 91-year-old supermarket—its bright orange logo a neighborhood calling card—is renowned for its artisanal cheeses, bagels and schmears, bakery goods, smoked fish, and house-roasted coffee blends, among many other faves. Zabar’s is as much a part of the fabric of the Upper West Side as are its many liberal, opinionated, and cantankerous residents. (Gil Faizon, anyone?)
Also entrenched in this UWS mosaic is Tip Top Shoes (85 years), Tip Top Kids (38 years), and sneaker boutique offshoot West NYC (18 years)—all led by fourth generation shoe retailers, Lester and Margot Wasserman. Hence their decision, along West NYC Brand Manager Adir Landis, for the two neighborhood businesses to partner in promoting an exclusive Adidas Rod Laver tennis sneaker that just so happened to be accented in Zabar’s signature bright orange colorway. “The timeless appeal of that style meshes perfectly with the Zabar’s brand, even if the white/orange colorway was a very happy coincidence,” says Landis, who grew up a block away from the supermarket. In fact, he believes Rod Lavers, West NYC, and Zabar’s go together like bagels and cream cheese. “The Upper West Side has little buzz, but it’s always there. It’s just as classy as a crisp pair of Rod Lavers,” he says.
To activate the drop, West NYC first seeded 90 pairs to Zabar’s staff leading up to last weekend’s debut. The team also did a photo shoot, whitepasting the images throughout lower Manhattan. Then came West NYC’s window display, featuring custom branded tennis balls and vintage Adidas tennis rackets.
The marketing build-up was a smash success, reports Landis. Blogs such as Sneakernews, House of Heat, SoleRetriever, Weartesters, SneakerFreaker, The NY Jewish Week, and many more gave it digital ink. It was also featured on key sneaker Instagram accounts @hartcopy and @ad__sneaks. “The coverage far exceeded our expectations,” he says. Sales were even more impressive. “The shoes came out on Saturday, and by Tuesday we already sold close to 500 pairs. Not too shabby for a shoe that to us is a Monday-Friday shoe.”
Landis adds that many customers bought multiple pairs, believing they likely wouldn’t see the white/orange colorway any time soon. “Many told us about the other colorways of Rod Lavers that they’ve collected over the years,” he says, adding that the classic style has a strong cult following. “It inspired Reebok’s G-Unit G6 sneakers, was heavily featured in the film Rushmore, and has countless references in rap songs. It’s also one of the only Adidas Originals styles without three stripes, making it understated. It’s also just really comfortable.”
All pictures courtesy of Jordan Keyser @jordankeyser
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