I honestly had never done it prior to the release of this shoe (the low top version). Many have done it, even though I’ve despised the approach. Camping out for any shoe just seemed insane at the time, but the Diamond Dunk SB seriously had everyone in a frenzy. With the rumors of it only having 4000 in existence, it gave most people a sense of urgency to try and lock a pair up. I called my boy Robby and we both drove out to HUF SF to join rank with about 15 people already in line at about 9pm. I had a hoody, my boy had his skateboard, and the rest just all sat there entertaining themselves on the sidewalk waiting for the shop to open at 11am the next day. This is how I learned of Nick Tershay and his company Diamond Supply Co – and this is how many passers-by learned that Asian American Idol auditions were being hosted in a small shop above the Tenderloin. And I thought we were the dumbasses.

It’s been about 10 years since that day and believe it or not, I still have that lone pair in my closet which is now posing as a relic of my immaturity in my 20s. Nike SB still continues their onslaught in the skateboard industry and Diamond, once only being a skateboard bolt company, is now one of the leading streetwear giants of today. The recently opened up their new flagship store in San Francisco and The Hundreds sent me there to go check out what’s good.

Meet the staff. All hand-picked by Nick Diamond himself and some even with their own streetwear history, working in neighboring SF stores like TRUE and even the same HUF store that I camped out at.

From first impressions, this place is fucking nice. You can easily forget you are in an independent store as things are very reminiscent of any high end shop in downtown SF. Amber wood paneled floors, glass casings, lighting in each and every direction and all showcasing Diamond’s latest garments and accessories for the season.

Speaking of relics, this is a little piece of San Francisco history. This is an actual EMB block which is from a skate spot in SF that spawned the careers of legends Mike Carroll, Jovontae Turner, Henry Sanchez and James Kelch to name a few.

There’s a little resurgence back in the Haight St. area which used to be the sole area to get anything streetwear back in my days (think Fairfax for Nor Cal). The Diamond store is definitely a mandatory stop when you’re in my city.

Diamond Supply Co.
1560 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 94117