Alife

My family and I are pretty much obsessed with the clothes from ALife. We came from FL and unfortunately we weren’t able to find much clothes as we would’ve liked. I personally was able to get 2 shirts and none of the shoes. The guy that sold me my shirts had pretty good customer service.

They have quite a lot of attitude considering the limited stock they have on offer. Was told to come here for limited releases, dead stock sneakers etc etc. Did not find this to be the case as the majority (if not the entirety) of things could be found in other stores around Manhattan, perhaps I went at a bad time though. the store interior itself is quite nice, there's a little bit of wood panelling to marvel at. Just be rude back to the staff if they are to you (it was a great deal of trouble for them to open the door to a shop filled with exactly 0 other customers) and bring them back down to earth.

Honestly one of the worst shopping experiences I’ve ever had. For some reason this store was recommended to me and for the life of me I cannot understand why. The store attendant was completely disinterested in my presence and spent the entire time staring at his phone screen. The only reason the shops stock could be considered exclusive is because no one in the right mind would ever spend their money here. Very limited range and 75% of what is there is general release. Don’t waste your time.

I ordered a pair of shoes from their online store. I checked the tracking on the scheduled delivery date and they never advanced past their store. I emailed them with no response. I sent a Facebook message with no response. Finally received a response through Instagram saying they'll look into it the next day. Received an email today stating my order has been refunded. I'm not sure what happened here but I would proceed with caution when ordering from their online store.

This would be a 5 Star if the 20-something staff attempted to serve the customer. Rude is about the nicest way to describe the store attendant. If he didn’t feel like getting on the ladder to get a shoe, he would make at least a handful of excuses why he didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t get the shoe. Nice shoes but considering Adidas and NB contract exclusives to Bloomingdale’s and other entities, there’s no longer a need to put up with the poor customer treatment by Alife’s pathetic staff.

I came to post a review, which I’ve never done, about how bad my experience was today @ alife, only to find out, after reading other reviews, that they special in bad experiences! I’m happy to keep my money, even if my son is a bit disappointed I didn’t get his Yeezys. The truth is, there’s absolutely no reason or excuse for such poor service, attitude and laziness. You can’t even open up your store on time. You shouldn’t be rewarded w/paying customers. You should be boycotted and run outta town! NEXT!!!

Worst customer service. They had one job and sent me the wrong color jacket, even though it says it right there on the shipping label. Made no effort to fix the issue so I opened up a PayPal dispute. They couldn't even bother responding to the case so it was closed in my favor and I received a full refund. NOW they're asking me to return the jacket (ahahahah). Thanks for the free Penfield jacket! Never shopping here again.

Bought a beanie online from this place. Looked good on the website but the shape is boxy. The item wasn’t cheap either. Went to return it and they have a NO RETURN OR EXCHANGE POLICY. What kind of reputable company does that?

Came here tonight to show my support for my boi China Mac. He will be dropping his two new EPs called Yin & Yang on August 18th. I never attended a listening party so pretty much Mac 哥哥 popped my cherry hehe =) When I finally arrived at Alife, there was a dude stopping me from going in but later on people were leaving. I told him that China Mac asked me to come then he let me in. Alife has a cool outdoor space to host events/parties like China Mac's tonight. Damn, there was a lot of chopiis (fans) along with his close friends that pull up to his listening party. I was speechless being in the presence of him ::screaming:: Awww how cute China Mac (https://www.instagram.com/chinamac/) gave me a hug then wished me a Happy Early Birthday ::blushing:: He was performing songs from his Yin & Yang EPs to everyone! Man my boi was killing it. Also, I got to meet one of China Mac's homeboy Mike (https://www.instagram.com/fuckth3world/) tonight and we took a #selife together LOL I didn't use my inner voice and kinda shouted "OMG JFortune" (https://www.instagram.com/jfortune718/) and he was nice to take a picture with me hehe Tonight was an epic moment in my Piggy New Year and just days before my birthday!

Shoulder shrug- google says the store is permanently closed. I order online with no problems

WTF?!? It's a tiny store with no name outside that you have to buzz in to get into. Staff wasn't particularly nice and they didn't really have any shoes that were exceptionally cool, but I'm not a shoe dork, so who the hell knows. I guess their claim-to-fame is to be all "exclusive" which is dumb.

I agree with gerard I... What the.. You have to ring the door bell!! Man it took me and my husband a very long time to find this place! I mean yes we are not from NY but shoot to us it look just like any other lil house/apt. They are not friendly at all! We didn't buy any sneakers cause I didn't want to pay for a arm and a leg for one pair when I can just to to Manhattan Footlocker and by 2 pairs. For sure I WON'T GO BACK!!

My family and I are pretty much obsessed with the clothes from ALife. We came from FL and unfortunately we weren't able to find much clothes as we would've liked. I personally was able to get 2 shirts and none of the shoes. The guy that sold me my shirts had pretty good customer service.

Ordered sneakers a month ago. Paid $16 for 2 day delivery. Still haven't received my sneakers. When I contacted customer service I was lied to on 3 separate occasions. First sent to wrong person, then they forgot to ship them, then I was told they were out of stock even though I called the store and was told they were in stock and they are still available online to purchase. Then they promised me a refund but guess what, they lied again and I still haven't been refunded. The icing on the cake... Customer Service accidentally included me on an email saying I was annoying.. I guess you can call it annoying that I just was these thieves to give me back my hard earned money and to stop lying to their customers and most of all to stop offering 2-day shipping when you are incapable of delivering on 2-month shipping

Alife's form of displaying kicks is my wet-dream, 'when-I-grow-up' closet vision. Their hard-to-get sneaks collection is NO JOKE! They're easy-going peeps, who are more than happy to answer any of your Q's or engage in a Sneaks convo. If in a serious search for some stellar kicks- Alife is a stop-by must.

this place is ok. it was rated the number one sneaker store to go to in the WORLD by dime magazine. THE WORLD. i was completely shocked. it's really nice in there and they have a decent selection, but i can't call it the best in the world. or even new york. maybe just the best on that street. maybe. haha

Vacationing from California I was excited to visit all of the local shops in NY but sad to say I had a bad experience with Alife. Nice looking shop but the clothes from Alife brand itself are of very poor quality. My friend bought two shirts from them. One has bad stitching as you could notice a lot of loose stitching on the collar and sleeves. Second tee had a very bad print on the design. You could notice that they tried to layer the print but didn't do it right on top of another. (He couldn't see this as the shirts come in a bag and didn't open until later in the day.) I wouldn't waste my time coming to this shop ever again or my money on Alife clothing. Save some time and visit a better boutique in the area such as DQM or Kith. Glad these guys closed their shop and left Fairfax years ago. Bottom of the food chain for sure when it comes to streetwear and quality.

Came, saw, left. Great if you're there to grab freshly dropped items, but if you get there on an off day (like I did).. it's kind of boring. I didn't see anything. I walked into the place right next door where this lady was setting up some equipment. I asked if she knew where "ALIFE" was. She said she didn't know. It was right next door!! Luckily I saw the plaque and gt buzzed in. The first of my street fashion boutiques when I visited NYC. I was definitely underwhelmed. I expected alot more....

I probably couldn't keep up with Fat Joe in sheer number of limited edition kicks, I mean, the dude has three rooms in his house full of shoes...but pound for pound in design I'd put my top three against his or yours any day of the week, that's right, I SAID IT. Bring in Alife Rivington, the MSG of shoe emporiums, LEGENDS are made in these walls. The collaborations and styles of rare limited edition Alife exclusives are enough to make TURTLE'S character from ENTOURAGE eyes pop. Fukijamas 2.0 brohiem...

For those who complain about the no sign and ringing a bell to get in, don't get it. It's like that for a reason...to keep the "footlocker" types away. Alife is an exclusive, beautifully set up sneaker boutique. They carry for serious sneakers heads, not for the before mentioned. Be prepared to walk in and awe of what they have and where you're buying from.

We came to this side of town just to pay a visit to Alife. Since it did originate from NY. Its cool, you have to get buzzed in. Great selection of tees, hoodies, hats and shoes. Very colorful. Even a few pieces for the ladies. Nice friendly staff to my surpise. Priced lower than similar urban brands ie. Bape or BBC. Oh and you can actually try on the actual shirts (unlike Bape).

Perhaps this place started the unostentatious trend of "We're a store/bar/club but you can't tell from the outside. Shhh! Makes you want to buy something even more, no?" The dark wood walls makes Alife feel like you've just walked into a secret society of sneaker heads. (Makes you wonder what kind of initiation ceremony is going on in the back.) If you consider your shoes a "collection" much like art, then you will love this boutique of hard-to-find and limited-edition Nikes, Adidas, Bape etc. Every time I've been in there though, the clientele is surprisingly Ralph Lauren ivy league rich kids (shopping with their parents) rather than city sneaker-heads.

I stayed at an airbnb around the corner from here so I saw it everyday as I walked home. As someone who used to really be into street wear, I had to check it out. To come in, it looks like someone needs to open the door for you. I was really just walking by and looked in and some guy opened the door for me. It's very boutique-style without many options, demonstrating the attractiveness/sleekness of "less is more." I had to pick up a T-shirt. It was the one with the Kat's Delicatessen design.

Man, there must have been some extra vitamin Hate in my Miller High Life when I wrote this, I really have nothing against this store, or the owners and staff. This wasn't a review as much as it was a rant about how ridiculous it is that there is a need for a place like this. I admit, I don't get sneaker junkies. I think expensive, limited edition tennis shoes are for suckers. Kudos though, to the Alife people for recognizing these people, and exploiting them. Make that money. That being said, this is a cool shop. If you are compelled to spend what I would consider too much money on shoes, do it here. Local owners, great atmosphere, and nice employees. The back deck was a lot of fun when I used to go here. It reminded me of the Midwest for some reason. They display their unparagoned selection of sneakers like they're some kind of priceless artifact. While a person may be able to find these shoes online, there is really nothing like walking out of a store with some new shoes on. So I guess if you have money burning a hole in your pocket, and you want to spend it only on yourself, and you happen to be in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, then this is a great place to go. If nothing else it's fun to check out a super posh shoe store next door to a filthy punk rock venue.

If your not into kicks don't bother. You will never be able to handle the prices and the pretension. But... If you love sneakers this is your heaven! These people treat kicks like the pieces of art they are! they are presented with reverence and respect. They always have hot classics or colabos in color ways that will make your jaw drop. The everyday stock is great but it is when they get a drop of some special edition heat that this place comes of its own. If you have seen the Tennis Ball Pumps you know what I mean and if you haven't you shouldn't even try to get buzzed in!

Now that the sneaker craze is in full force, all those seem to have been born from Alife. Undefeated and Blendz in LA carry some of the same Nike's, but none carry the Alife brand (until Alife opens a store out West). Unless you have the address, it might be hard for you to find the store(s). We passed right by until we went a couple blocks too far not noticing that we had passed the number we were looking for. There are two side-by-side stores, the left with the mostly Alife brand sneakers, super bright patent leather, with crazy clown colors, and Alife Apparel. The right side is mostly Nike and Adidas (although I'm sure there was more brands, now that i can't remember). Tobin bought a pair of Alife's, while also wanting some Nike's that of course were out of his size. The staff was super cool and mellow and the atmosphere modern, yet old boy's club cool.

The word pretentious certainly comes to mind. There are most def people in there that I just can't relate to. I don't live through my clothes, I just try to dress nice, and I think there's a difference. You can get a lot of the sneaks in there on ebay a little cheaper. But, I've always preferred to see sneaks in person, even if it cost a little extra. They also have some stuff that is just crazy exclusive, which is just cool to see. Will go back.

This place is simply amazing and I am glad it took me over 20 minutes walking around the neighborhood looking for it. Normally I would have given up but I had my heart set on the Sesame Street themed tees. Of course, I could have gotten cheap fake ones on Canal but someone has to represent the real deal. LOL!!! Peep the sneakers and then go next door to the clothing store to check out the latest in street wear.

I loved Alife, and I'm a heel and boot gal. The guys in there were patient with me, and really down to earth. We laughed and joked, which made it a relaxed environment for me - important since I'm not a "sneakerhead" per se. If you love sneakers, and I mean, really appreciate sneakers for the art of the piece and the history involved - not just let me throw on some keds that I've had for like 10 years and run them into the ground - then this place is definitely for you.

ALIFE UP!!! This is one of the dopest stores I've been to in NY. The store front is a little misguiding, but once you step in, it is worth the search! The buzzer to get in adds to the exclusivity, and keeps out the "lookers". Very different for the store in LA... Still trying to decide which I like better...

A cool place to grab a pair of kicks in the LES. Nike, Adidas, Alife, others are carried. These guys have been open for over 10 years now (I believe) and helped lay the groundwork for other similar stores. From the buzzer to the wood cases, the decor is a little different, but it works. As some others pointed out, it seems their selection has lagged the previous quality level in recent years. Customer service can be hit or miss in my experiences. But for locals and travelers alike, it is a good store to have in your rotation.

I'm not too big of a fan of Alife but the BF is so we made the trek to find this place. According to google this store was really close so we walked, got lost, ended up getting something to eat then successfully found the tiny boutique. We waited to get buzzed in and walked into a store as narrow and small as my walk in closet. The girl behind the counter (that alone was hard to find) offered some help and got us sizes we needed. The BF scored a pair of cork sole shoes for $100 and a super soft t-shirt for a little over $30.

The interior of ARC is quite nice: lots of hardwood, classy recessed lighting, red carpeting, glass cases containing fancy shoes. As far as the shoes go, I was pretty unimpressed. HUF in San Francisco has more inventory turnover, and thus stays fresher. This place - I dont know - seems overrated? If you want fancy-schmancy shoes, buy them on ebay, or straight off the docks. This place is sort of a rip off. You might even find the same shoes you see at ARC down on Canal. Save yourself some money, ya dummy.

Nice small boutique where sneakers are royalty. There's no big sign and has an unassuming door with a door bell. Neat. Upon entering it's like a old English-country club . Red carpet, wood panel throughout with a chandelier. All the shoes are display in their own individual lighted wooden shelves. You don't see a sneaker store like this everyday. I don't care where you're from. Even though a nice place, I found it to have a decent but limited selection. Also a sweatshirt they had sold out online was not available in the store. I was bummed. But service was good and attentive by Thomas. Maybe not the best sneaker shop in the City. But if you're in the neighborhood, stop by.

More style than substance: that's the point. They don't just get the newest; they have a certain buying pattern. This is what makes it good to shop there. They don't tend to carry the stuff I like. Alife carries a lot of brightly-colored court styles that would make junior high school girls want you. But as far as rare sneakers go, this place is up at the top. In other words, the majority of the stuff (not all) here is fairly rare. The prices are high. But that's what you should expect. So I can't criticize for that.

First, let me start by saying that this review is based on the boutique and not the brand itself. You have to get buzzed in before entering which has a cool feeling to it. Alot of people are complaining about the customer service, but it's a Streetwear brand that sells apparel and rare sneakers located in the LES....get real. If anything, it's true to the New York spirit. Guy behind the counter keeps getting flustered because you keep asking prices (most sneakers don't have price tags here) then it is what it is. If you want customer service, go to Foot Locker. Although I've never attended, I do know that they throw some pretty dope events as well.

ALIFE is a very dope store!!! Hands down!!! good merchandise But the bitchyness needs to change otherwise they are gonna lose customers.

It's times like these when I'm wondering when Yelp is going to offer the option of negative stars. I can honestly say that I have never encountered more careless customer service. I understand that my review may not necessarily be an accurate representation of the physical store, but hopefully it will advise future buyers of how little this company cares about its patrons. I ordered a pair of limited edition sneakers for my boyfriend's Christmas gift. ARC sends me the wrong size. I went online to look for a customer service number to call, only to find that they only accept emails (red flag). Someone did get back to me within the next few days letting me know to return the shoes with the provided shipping label, and they would send out the correct size as soon as possible. There was no trace of "sorry" anywhere in the email. A month goes by... nothing. You would think that if they weren't going to send you the exchange, they would at least REFUND you. They practically just took my money and ran, hoping that I wouldn't notice. Not only did I receive neither exchange nor refund, but all my emails went unanswered. SHADY. I got to the point where I searched online for a phone number to call, and ended up calling the store. From the moment I tried to explain my issue to the man on the line, he rudely cuts me off, throws an alternate phone number in my face, and hangs up. I'm sure the store receives calls like this frequently and it gets annoying, but Jesus, cut the tone or get out of the customer service business. The number provided to me was for an outside company which apparently handles order issues for numerous businesses. I explained my situation to Brooke, who was more than helpful in trying to rectify the situation and getting in touch with ARC. I let her know that I either needed the correct shoes sent back to me, or a refund. Obviously I preferred the exchange, seeing as how this was a gift. A few days later, I checked my bank statement and notice that I received a refund for the shoes. No email was sent to me providing an explanation, an apology, NOTHING. Just felt like a giant "F YOU" - we don't care. OK, fine, at least I got my refund, right? Well, only for the subtotal of the shoes. WHY am I not refunded for the shipping charges that YOUR COMPANY screwed up on? WHY should I be paying for you to ship me the WRONG product? If you screw up the order, refund me for the WHOLE damn thing. Frustrated with how much time I had to deal with this situation, I send another email to ARC, and, guess what? Yes... no response. I ended up calling Brooke again, who told me that she would contact them. I could tell the poor girl was trying her best, and I know that she could only do so much. Today? Still nothing. I decided to give Brooke a break and stop making her the middle man. It really is not the shipping charge that infuriates me, but it's the principle. This company clearly does not care about customer care, and I am happy to say that ARC will not ever receive my business again, nor from my boyfriend's business who have been long time patrons of theirs.

2 stars for the service. Dope products but damn I felt so uncomfortable in there I wanted to get out as quickly as possible. Dudes energy was stank and super unwelcoming

Staff was friendly unlike the dck at the Hundreds store & there was a sale, so... no complaints here. Stores like these need to realize that customer service pulls the sale, & Alife did good in my book (at least during my visit).

Alife is rad! You can never find their stuff in Los Angeles so it was one of my first stops when I came into NY. It's even cooler that there's a doorbell you ring to get inside, just remember the street address and you'll be fine. FYI: whatever shoe size they have out in the cubbies is the smallest available shoe size in the store.

While Alife Rivington Club sells sneakers, Alife, which is the door left of the ARC door, sells its clothing brand. Sells Alife shirts, hoodies, sweaters, fitted caps, skate decks, and some graffiti supplies, but is more expensive than other clothing shops which aims for the same "sneaker head" niche.

Alife Rivington is, by no exaggeration, a legend in the sneaker game. It is a true concept store. On the outsite, it looks like an abandoned storefront. Push the buzzer, go inside and its a sneaker lounge with luxurious dark wood cupboards, chandelier, red carpet, and an outdoor patio area. When I first came here, I really didn't know what to expect but my curiousity was well rewarded. I mean, its just very cool place and to this day I haven't quite been to a retail store like this one. They have the most exclusive of exclusives. Tier 0 Nike account and foreign brands that squares will not recognize. If you do not LOVE sneakers, do not come here. You will not get "it". Basically, if you live in the city, there is no better place to get hard to get sneakers.

I'm trying to figure out a way to contact this company, however, I can't seem to find a working phone number or a website. Can anyone tell me if this place is still open and if they have a new website? Thanks

Alife typifies the herd of individuals mentality that is prevalent in NYC. Sure they have a nice gig going, but quite frankly the entire sneaker culture's turning lamer than Stephen Hawkings. How can something be limited edition when you release a "limited edition" every week? Kids. Anyway, the interior's dope, the staff are a bunch of morons except for Chris. Irony is a snobby retail serf. Newsflash, you're working retail not curing cancer. Get it together.

very clean store and happy staff. i want to make the marry to staff girl. domo arigato KS.

ARC is the sneaker side of the compartmentalized store selling sneakers... Alife is the clothing wing. Get it? This used to be one of my favourite spots in NYC to cop - it was similar to the Vancouver and LA store but with a few key differences: 1) Even if you weren't in town for the limited Tier Zero drops or when they open up the archives - they had a solid collection of Nikes. Sorry - I'm just not feeling most of the 'inspired' Alife sneakers at the other branches. 2) The decor - this is what I want my office/den to look like. Oak shelves, black leather benches, lush crimson carpet and a red rotary phone. It's like a gentlemen's cigar lounge -- but with sneakers. Something the decor - just made you want to spend. 3) I learned how to properly pronounce 'Houston Street' in the appropriate NYC accent here. 'Hue-ston?' 'HOUSE-TON!' 'House-ton?' 'HOOOUUSE-TON!' 4) An unmarked door with a small plaque and a buzzer? Bit pretentious but undeniably cool. Unfortunately, on my most recent visit all the Nikes and New Balances are gone - just Alife brand kicks. This place is slipping. The staff is a lot less friendly (it's like I interrupted them from an intense game of... backgammon?). Alife gear is pretty expensive but the quality matches the price point. But other than the dope location and decor - it's not any different if you've been to any other Alife.

World famous Alife. Very hard to find spot once you get to the location....it's like you gotta scrutinize every doorway to see what's going on inside to determine whether or not its a sneaker shop or not. Ring the doorbell and they will buzz you in. Very sleek and well lit interior; i felt like i was in someone's executive office. They have elegant displays and cases for their exclusive shoes. They carry a lot of hard to find kicks. The staff is helpful and freindly. They carry adidas, bape, nike, reeboks, etc.

Checked it out wasnt really feeling it. Don't get me wrong they had some nice kicks and some cool clothes but prices were a bit much and the people hanging out there were way too cool for school. And the staff I don't think they said a word the entire time I was there guess I wasn't cool enough. Ohwell. If your into that kind of stuff then I guess its for you. I know Alife gets alot of exclusive stuff so I guess you have to weigh out your options. Im not from around there also so maybe I just got there on a bad day. I might go check it out next time I'm in town hopefully it will be a better experience and I can write a new review...

Exclusive store: tiny and if you don't know it's there you may walk past it. Ring the bell and enter a world of rare sneakers, Alife brand clothing and have a nice chat with a fellow prince fan..got hot sear sucker Nikes here in 2008

Not a huge fan of Alife the brand, but I'll always have good memories of this place. Found it on my third try after dim sum at Joe Shanghai's in nearby Chinatown. The day I went, they opened up the back and had a sample sale going on. The store itself is small, with the merchandise lovingly displayed on the left wall and a wood grained interior with benches. They stock limited edition AF1s, Air Max, Dunks, Jordans, and Vans.

I guess when I was a shoehead I would have appreciate this place more. Another typical sneaker boutique that don't say hi/hello/good bye...cool ring the doorbell to give you the whole club and exclusive feel, but wares out very fast once you enter the shop.....as much as I love the brand I wasn't too impressed with their shop.

I thought this place was going to be much more awesome than it was. The selection was small and I didn't see prices on anything. I must say I do love the Alife sweatshirts that feel like the old school college sweats. They are thick and heavy and come in cool colors. I don't think I would go back here unless I struck it rich, because I know they stuff is really expensive and I feel like I should buy something when I go in. They have a separate store for shoes next door, which I did not venture into, it probably was pretty sweet.

I'm a sneaker person- meaning I wear sneakers all the time, unless I'm forced to do otherwise. But usually, I'm good with a pair of Saucony or Converse sneaks. Seriously, sneakers are made for easy walking...so what the heck is this fancy sneakers business? Wtf. A bit of a condescension in this place. Esp. if you walk in, not knowing the history of each and every pair of sneaker.

Like the store concept but wasn't really impressed with the selection, etc. Based on all of the stuff I read, I wasn't really sure what all the hype was about with this place and after visiting, I still can't figure it out. If you've never been before, it's worth checking out -- the decor/interior are great, but if you're looking for a friendly staff and great selection of kicks, etc., I would go to Goliath RF.

If dope kicks are your stiggy and you got the trust fund or hustle to match, come here to get your wheelz rollin' : Godfather style. Otherwise you'll probably think this is one of the most retarded places alife...I mean, alive. www.alifenyc.com

YES! Got a sick pair of shoes for half off normal price and it was a pretty sweet deal. I'm no expert but my friend is, and he was totally ogling the sneaker selection. I'll be back.