I love this place. But they fell off on raffling shoes. I used to come here alot from winning raffles. Where'd you guys go? You guys used to be one of my top 5 shoe stores. The people inside were cool as hell. They value all their shoes and merchandise at retail, they don't resell(good). Overall, service was great. read more

Unique everything, clothes, rare released Nikes among other brands (you should follow their IG). Men's Clothing & Shoes mostly but really this should be kept a secret. Rare street brands from Japan and UK and their own in house items. If you wanna look cool, you'll shop here. Their Valencia Store is open for business in person (July 2021) and is a refreshing visit to another SF neighborhood from their original North Beach store. read more

Much love to The Darkside Initiative! I ordered a pair of kicks and they came across country in two days. The pair was perfect, the packing was great, and the staff was a pleasure to deal with. I will certainly shop with The Darkside Initiative again. read more

Store is very contemporary and is a great visit on Valencia Street. Additionally, their shipping is consistent, always ships next day if not same. I look forward to shopping with them in the future. read more

I wanted to buy a pair of Vans (never owned a pair before) and decided to use that as an excuse to visit this store. haha. Anyway they carry a lot of nice clothing. They had a good selection of Carhartt clothing and I was almost tempted to buy a Carhartt beanie. They had other clothing brands too but I wasn't too familiar with the names. I checked out their shoe section and they had Vans in stock. I asked to try on 2 sizes and was on my way. They even helped lace my shoes up. read more

If you would like to visit a shop that goes out of their way to make you feel uncomfortable. Please visit this shop. Special shout out to Richard for making the entire experience absolutely horrible. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. read more

Great service and great prices! Easy entry and really unique pieces. Definitely Recommend if you are in the area read more

The Darkside Initiative - Mens section - Shoe Stores Near Me - San Francisco, California

Wow I just had one of the worst experiences ever at a clothing store here. It was around 1:30-2pm today. These guys don't seem to want to sell anything, and they have a very condescending air about them. Right when I walked in I was instantly drawn to three pieces; two pairs of Pharrell Adidas sweat pants and one black Pharrell Adidas hoodie - they were all size small. So I asked one of the associates if there were any other sizes and he replied saying that the pants were pretty exclusive and that's all they had. He checked the system and it said they have mediums so he went and checked and only found the hoodie in a size medium. As they were looking for it in the back I also noticed a small flannel jacket that I liked as well. When he came out he told me that he couldn't find any mediums so the other associate went to take a look and see if he had a better shot. Trying to be friendly and cut through their awkward attitudes I cracked a joke asking if they only sell smalls in the entire store. There was a small chuckle. At this point the experience was ok but definitely on the awkward end of things. So I went ahead and tried all the size small items. Surprisingly they all fit really well. I was super excited because it's exactly what I was looking for. When I came out of the fitting room I wanted to get their opinion about the flannel - instantly both associates told me that it did not fit right, the sleeves were too short and the length was too short; crazy thing is that's what I liked about it! That's my style. It fit right on my waist. This is where things went south. Out of nowhere the employee awkwardly asked me if I was wearing a shirt underneath, which caught me off guard. I responded saying no. He asked me to go back inside and take this shirt off which at this point I was very uncomfortable. I couldn't believe what just happened. I mean I understand that we are going through Covid restrictions but I was never told to make sure that I had an undershirt on. I apologized and changed. When I came back out of the fitting room I asked if they always have this requirement to which he said yes. So I countered with, what if someone wants to try on a Tshirt? His response was "well most people don't try on skin on skin items". This makes no sense!! What about pants?! I've worked retail half my life, and a majority of that in ACTUAL high end retail. Never have I come across such a policy, nor make anyone feel the way they made me feel. I understand if you do have this requirement Be clear about it from the start!! So at this point I dropped up to $500 worth of clothing I was going to purchase and left, saying he needs to work on his communication and customer service skills, and learn company policy. So I left the store, and a few moments later he CHASED ME OUTSIDE to show me the black Adidas hoodie and tried to accuse me of leaving a deodorant stain on it angrily saying something to the effect of this is why we require undershirts. I was flabbergasted. One this is wrong and two it's impossible bc I don't wear white deodorant. I was so blown away and angry that I just walked away. Oh! I also forgot. To add another tid bit about their communication issues. One guy said everything that was out on the floor were sample sizes and they have everything else in the back, so let him know if I'd like to try any sizes. But then later on, the deodorant guy said something completely different. After he went to the back to check for sizes, he returned saying everything they have in stock is on the floor. Like WHAT?!?! This is crazy. They obviously didn't want to sell me anything. It just blows my mind bc they could have had a quick 20 minute $500 sale. Good luck going forward guys. read more

Had a great experience! Everyone was super friendly! An immaculate store, both gentlemen that were there, helped my son choose from a few pair of shoes, and sizes. Always helpful and super knowledgeable of all of their inventory. They were super patient with us while my son made a decision. Def worth the trip from Sacramento. read more

The Darkside Initiative - Shoe Stores Near Me - San Francisco, California

DOPE Darkside Initiative is the place for keeping feet the focal point of a wardrobe. Cop that! The search is over for the finding solid sneakers that'll keep you valid every time. You're welcome ;) Christian and Steven will definitely hook you up, come say what's good and support local business. read more

Was constantly stared at the whole time I was trying to shop and when I was ready to buy the person in charge was giving attitude.

Clothing is expensive and all sales are final. I first came in and the staff were very robotic "hello, let me know if you have any questions..." I walked around and just a plain hoodie was $145!! You would think a $145 anything would be made in Italy but nope made in Vietnam. read more

Super cool layout and the people in there are really chill would recommend going for sure they have a great selection from shoes to clothes

Clothes are cool but one male staff was really rude to my friends when he saw them using hand sanitizer because of the smell of it. The guy's tone was so aggressive that it appeared he was going to get physical with us for violation of a rule which was not articulated anytime before by anyone when we walked in. My friends and I are no wealthy people at all, so we do not go to this type of high-end store often and are not aware of such rules if they actually exist. We thought that he might have judged from our clothings and concluded that we belong to the low spectrum of the social class and would, therefore, not be able to afford their prices. Anyway, I would still recommend visiting this store because the products are actually really awesome despite that one guy's attitude. But remember to not use hand sanitizer :) (I also feel sad for that one lady staff who has to be with a coworker of such fractious personality.) read more

I came for the new Elliot x LBJs on release day. The taller male employee wearing a hat and the Levi 4s was super nice and made small talk as I was waiting. His customer service was the reason for the review and 5 stars. I was in and out in no time too. Love the vibes and will return. Shoutout to my dude - sorry I didn't get your name. Next time. read more

Been wanting to check this place out for a while now. I've entered their online raffles a few times but never took the time to drop by. Upon entering the shop I was greeted right away by both employees working behind the register. They were super friendly right off the bat. Not exactly what I was expecting... no offense to them but just that in general I tend to get a different vibe when shopping at other sneaker boutiques... more laid back where you walk in and browse and are just left alone until you ask for help. I actually appreciated the kind gesture... made me feel welcomed. I spoke with Steve and Cristian. I had some questions about the shop just to find out a little more about its history... they filled me in on how long they've been in business and their other location... what brands they carry etc. Very thorough. Shop is super clean and I liked the fact they had fitting rooms. They also filled me in on the big upcoming sneaker releases which was nice cause I was interested in hearing bout that. Upon leaving both of them shook my hand and gave me their names. Great customer service. Super helpful. Love the vibe. Looking forward to coming back soon. read more

If you are looking for unique high end street wear and hard to find eclectic sneakers, this is your spot. Staff are professional and attentive. The space is clean, modern, and dressed with some incredibly interesting art. Be sure to check out the clever video projections in the front window. An all around exciting shopping experience. read more