Dave's Quality Meat
Neighborhood: East Village
Type of Place: Outdoor Gear
Description:
"Skateboarding," announces Dave Ortiz of Dave's Quality Meat, a small gem of a store tucked away on one of the quieter blocks of the East Village, "is the new black." So is Australia, he continues, but we'll get to that later.
Ortiz worked in the Meatpacking District 10 years ago, when there were still at least a few meat shops in the area, between the shops and clubs, and adapted the name of his store from an establishment he noticed there called Dave's Quality Veal (owned, it turned out, by a man named Gary; go figure).
He runs Dave's Quality Meats, which sells funky casualwear as well as skateboards and skateboarding supplies, with brothers Chris and Jones Keefe, whom he met through skateboarding. A large meat counter in the center
of the store is a focal point, though it displays accessories rather than cold cuts. Beautiful black and white photos of downtown NYC, taken by local artists, reflect the Dave's trio's history with and love for this city.
If you¹ve never ridden a skateboard and don't want to consider what would happen if you tried, there's still plenty for you here. For instance, well-made and eye-catching men's and women's t-shirts start at $22. We especially liked the shirts from a maker called Sham (starting at $28), which are imported from Australia, which, as we mentioned, falls into Ortiz' 0"new black" category. "Australians are just everywhere right now," he explains. "And the work they¹re doing is really hot." Dave is the kind of charismatic and tuned-in guy from whom statements like this seem perfectly credible, and
we expect that we¹ll now be noticing Aussies and their hot work everywhere we turn.
One particularly popular (though non-Aussie) recent item has been the Rainbow Airmax 95 sneakers by Nike, designed specially for this summer's Olympics. They're almost sold out, and, as a limited edition, can't be reordered, but if you act fast, you might get the last pair left (men's size 7.5, $150). Men's and women's shoes here run from $69-$300 and are perfect for pounding the city pavement with a spring in your step, or for skateboarding. If indeed that¹s your sport, or you want it to be, you can get a deck starting at $49.99 or a whole board starting at $128.
Last but not least, a line of jewelry is coming in the fall, including pendants in the shape of meat cleavers and chicken legs. Listen up, meat-related accessories, too, just may be the new black. - Pam Grossman; 7, 2004
Dave's Quality Meat
7 E. 3rd St.
212-505-7551 10003
212-505-7551
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