Dave’s Wear House Skate Shop at 123 Baxter

Baxter Street between Canal and Hester. It’s a bustling block deep in the heart of Chinatown dotted by a diverse set of retail tenants, and even a church. So we were admittedly surprised to learn of a new skate shop that just opened here. Definitely not the first place one would expect such a business.

Dave’s Wear House opened at the rather sterile 123 Baxter roughly sixty days ago, the labor of skate luminary and East Village resident Dave Ortiz. Last weekend we stopped in for an assessment. It’s a cool, unpretentious spot with a varied collection of gear and men’s apparel. Skateboards are sold alongside BMX necessities, kicks, jackets, and army surplus bags (their biggest seller). And the intriguing lifeline package of socks and underwear assembled in plastic for emergency situations – the “Dirty Stay Out Pack” for the ladykillers.

Ortiz maintains that this shop is no “skate-tique” of overpriced urban street-style. That’s all in his past. Dave’s Wear House, he claims, is about affordability for neighborhood skaters. Brands include everything from Dickie’s, Columbia, and Zig Zag shoes to Nike and house brand Another Dave’s Design (ADD+).  For the small change of $50, patrons can also purchase a variety of decks, signed by various pros (i.e. friends) who’ve stopped by the shop.

The opening of this latest outpost further justifies the notion that skate culture has never been healthier.