For all your urban needs

Like it or not, says Chup, Manchester is changing. In the last 15 or so years, the city has become a much more diverse melting pot, attracting not just white immigrants, as in the past, but people of all shades from across the globle, as well as closer to home.

This new-found diversity can also be seen in the city's business community, from Middle Eastern food stores and Latino barbershops to Manchester's growing number of retail stores that specialize in all things urban. It is one of these stores, Urban Central at 483 Maple St., that employs the aforementioned Chup, a local hip hop musician and airbrush artist who hails from Harlem:

It was Chup who painted this now-familiar mural on the side of the store, located on the corner of Maple and Concord streets:

Urban Central is the newest of the city's urban stores, having opened for business about a year ago. It sells an array of urban clothing, including speciality jeans:

and items from the brand Ecko Unlimited (up to size 6XL):

and shoes, as shown here by Megan Haredia, left, and store owner Sarah Schneider:

Of the three urban stores I visited recently, Urban Central was the only one that sold any Boston Red Sox gear, and even then there wasn't much. The team whose clothing items and other paraphanelia dominate the stores' shelves and racks is the New York Yankees, as evidenced by the hat rack at Off the Hook Fashion, the city's oldest urban fashion store, currently located at 342 Union St.:

Asked what was the most popular item sold by the store, the woman behind the counter didn't hesitate. Without a doubt, she said, it is the humble Gazy T-shirt:

These plain, tall, T's, which retail for $5, fly off the racks, she said, noting that on an average Friday and Saturday she will easily sell 50 or 60. The store has about 10 customers, she added, who buy a new shirt every day.

A gentleman at Urban Central told me a similar story regarding that store's sales of $5 T-Shirts.

"It's usually young guys who don't have a girlfriend to take care of them," he said. "It's easier for them to buy a new shirt every day to stay fresh than it is to wash clothes."

While visiting the urban stores, I couldn't help but notice that the stores' mannequins all seemed to have a little extra in the derriere, ala J.Lo, including this one at Off the Hook:

For those of you who would like a closeup shot, here you go:

Meandering about Off the Hook, amid the mini skirts and the studded belts, I saw a clothing item that seemed oddly out of place. There's certainly nothing "urban" I could discern regarding this rain suit:

But I suppose with all of the rain Manchester has received as of late, it might be a popular item this summer, urban style or no. Indeed, Off the Hook certainly knows how adjust its inventory to capitalize on current events. To wit, the offering of Michael Jackson T-shirts, of which the store has apparently sold some 50 since MJ's untimely death on June 25:

I saw no Michael Jackson shirts at Urban Zone, 304 Main St. This West Side store does, however, have the largest selection of "Scarface" items of any Manchester store I've visited in the five years I've lived in the Queen City:

There's even a Tony Montana/Stewie Griffin combo:

And on display in the store - though not for sale - is Tony Montana/Al Pacino photograph whose frame also contains a fine Cuban cigar made by the Cohiba company:

The store's bigest sellers, though, are skull items of all varieties, according to the store's owner, from over-sized skull T-shirts:

to skull-related bling and belt buckles:

In addition to clothes, shoes and bling, Urban Zone also carries urban accessories:

 Nice.

Comments

[Lynette Cornell]

For some reason, it just doesn't feel like Manchester is all that urban to warrant urban wear shops. But it appears my perception of my hometown is incorrect.

Know of any place to find cheap naan? Shop N Shop is a little too pricey for my tastes. I figure you might know.

[Will Stewart]

Lynette, try The Spice Market in the plaza on the corner of Valley and Maple.

[Marie H]

Must have been funny to see the clerks face when you walked in, you know, with your not so urban look!

[Will Stewart]

Oh, Marie, you know I'm hard core, yo!

[Ramsey]

Just found your shop, next time I'm in the area which will be soon, I'm going to come in and check you out.