Supreme in Brooklyn, photo by Diego Lynch

After months of rumors that Williamsburg was getting a Supreme store, the cult skatewear brand opened on Grand Street this past Thursday. If you’re familiar with the Soho institution, you won’t be surprised to hear the Williamsburg store is already drawing lines down the block. 

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Things are always crazy at Supreme on Thursdays, during its weekly drops of themed gear or collaborations between brands and artists. (Positions in line are raffled out to people who register online.) But even on this Tuesday morning, the hypebeasts were out in force. 

The exterior of the store. (Photo by Diego Lynch)

“This is the fourth day, they don’t have too much,” said Robert H., in line today. “They had the box logo t-shirts, their most popular thing, but it’s gone.” The coveted shirt can sell for more than $1,000; last year, during sign-ups for box logo hoodies, things got a little out of control:

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During my visit to the Williamsburg store, I was able to observe the choreography of its crowd management. The storefront is on Grand Street between Bedford and Berry, but customers lined up two blocks away, near the river.

They were then chaperoned by one of the dozen black-suited security guards to the store, where they queued up once more.

Inside, the store was lightly populated, presumably so shoppers could purchase in peace. I didn’t see anyone using its centerpiece, a massive above-ground skating bowl.

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As we learned when its Metrocard drop spawned “Fuck Supreme” t-shirts, this brand has a powerful hold on people. “I buy it for the culture, I am part of the culture,” said N. Walker. “It is simple, and a lot of these other brands are outlandish. I am a simple guy.”

(Photo by Diego Lynch)

Some on Twitter have complained about “dorks”, “buttheads” and “fuccbois” flooding Williamsburg, while others are declaring that “Williamsburg is over” and “the end of days is upon us.” But a coffee shop around the corner from the store is trying to make the best of things: