APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – A lot of things can happen on the basketball court, from friendships to business deals. A pair of friends weren’t expecting to corner the market of streetwear and sneaker culture in the Fox Valley.

Quadry Smith and Matt Hunter are the owners of DVSN 1, a new designer streetwear, vintage clothing store in Appleton. Smith and Hunter initially bonded over their love of basketball, but they’re using their interest in sneakers and fashion to bring styles from the East and West coast to the Midwest.

“We wanted people to step inside of our store and feel like they’re no longer in Appleton. We want them to feel like they’re in a store in New York, Chicago, or LA,” says Smith.

The layout of the vintage, streetwear store instantly transports you to the East and West coast once you walk in.

‘It’s more of a sports vibe in here. All athletes want to go to Division 1,” says Smith.

  • Image Credit: DVSN 1
  • Image Credit: DVSN 1

The 26-year-olds had careers in marketing and commercial loans when they came up with the idea to open the store last year.

“The journey was long. There were so many things that we didn’t know that we had to do, business agreements, partnership agreements, you know, all that type of stuff” says Smith.

“The items for the most part are limited and exclusive when it comes to the shoes and the streetwear. A lot of these items are sold out everywhere you would look online,” says Hunter.

The store opened in September with approximately 60 pairs of shoes, and now their inventory has skyrocketed to 200 and counting.

“The reception has been crazy, and it’s organically grown. People come in here and say, ‘Dude, I feel like I’m in New York right now,” says Smith.

“We wanted to bring the bigger city vibe here to Appleton,” says Hunter.

The friends-turned-business partners say this is only the beginning for DVSN 1.

“We have a pretty big vision for DVSN 1. It’s in our vision to be in cities worldwide,” says Hunter.

DVSN 1 is a buy/sell/trade shop that specializes in designer streetwear and vintage clothing. The store is located on 113 E College Ave. For more information on DVSN 1, click here.