Queer Life NY: UNIVERSAL GEAR Flagship Store Launch!

Hotter, Hotter, Hotter, Hotter, Hotter
To get more of an eye popping, live eye full of these Hunks, albeit more heavily covered, rush over to XL Nightclub, where they are safely kept behind the bar counters for fear of setting the whole place on fire

On May 18, Universal Gear launched its new flagship store in Hell’s Kitchen, its second location in Manhattan. The first store, in Chelsea, opened in November 2001, creating a dynamic shopping environment with dance music listening stations and aluminum and polycarbonate fixtures. It became instantly popular among the Queer community.

"The gay community has helped position our store for enormous growth," said David Franco, co-founder and owner of Universal Gear. "But the non-gay customer also makes up about 30% of our sales. Straight men are increasingly feeling more comfortable wearing cool, city gear and sportswear and buying in a traditionally gay area."

The new store, in a former speakeasy during the 1920’s, has undergone a brand makeover. It features an industrial, vintage look, playing off the word “gear” and evoking the look of the industrial revolution. From a torpedo cart used to arm ships in Pearl Harbor, now used to display the military styles of G-Star, to the beverage carts of the 1960’s, used to bring Coca Cola bottles to Five-and-Dimes and gas stations and now used to display vintage “Coke is It” tees, the Hell’s Kitchen store will be the first to show off the new look, which will be followed later by a makeover of the Chelsea store.

Meltdown time!

Jerry Kajpust, Director of External Affairs at the
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, with
Gay Literature Author Perry Brass

Not even a dazzling toothpaste advertisement smile can
take away attention from the lovingly sculpted body

Is the width of those shoulders to be believed?!

Photographer and Art Collector David Jarrett
with fellow events photographer Andrew Werner

The very gracious and effective crew of XL Nightclub in charge of refreshments

Universal Gear is a favored retailer of clothing and accessories for the lifestyle of the fashion-conscious man. Its top brands include G-Star, Diesel, Scotch & Soda, Levi's, Ben Sherman, ES Collection, Penguin, 2(x)ist, Andrew Christian, Anthony Morato and many more . They also market a private label line of t-shirts, athletic wear, cashmere sweaters and board shorts under the Universal Gear label.