LAB

This place it definitely out of business. Drove by a couple of times and it is completely empty inside. Cool concept, but may be too pricey. I heard they owner used to bring a bulldog to work!!! I would have stopped in just to see the bully! It looks like they may continue selling online:

goddamn it, every time i go in here. i WANT to buy something, but I never do… GIVE ME SOMETHING TO BUY…
don’t get me wrong, the store has a cool concept…(w-a-i-t LAB stands for LABORATORY and it looks like a creepy white-​washed LAB — insert clever remark here)
but i honestly don’t think they have a lot of merchandise to choose from. is it just me? am i alone? They have a lot of underground urban labels and limited edition stuff but I have yet to see that one shirt that makes me cream my target 2 for 1 underwear. AND is it just me, or could they like make the lighting brighter in there? it’s kinda dim and depressing…
not to mention for a while they had weird store times and everytime i walked by it was closed for some reason!..
i also wished they would have more funky accessories for chicks. like messenger bags/​jewelry/​hats… and more urban wear than that punk rock ish.
and they sometimes have this sale bin thing near the register but it’s all embarassing cause usually no one is in there but u and the sales person and then you have to like bend over in front of them and dig through 30 of the hideous neon pink tank tops that they shouldn’t have ordered anyways– and look all ghetto and cheap because you don’t want to pay full price for that shirt that says «i love german techno pop»
PLUS it ain’t all that cheap in there, it’s on the pricey side.
maybe i could afford a neon green hideous ugly dunny thing though.
and OH more hip hop vinyl please. and does anyone ever SPIN on those turntables in the back…
it could be soo fly.

don’t make the mistake of being intimidated by this place or thinking its for «hipsters»
came here to get a gift card for the lovely Liz D. thought it would be a quick in and out but they were having a sale! both me AND nate found cute shirts we really liked and were reasonably priced. its a little more than I would usually spend but definitely cute and original stuff, good brands and totally worth it if you catch it on sale.
the people here were super nice and the music was SOOOOO good. all stores should have decks and a DJ. its a beautiful thing :)
check it out!

I’ve been coming to this place since its opening and I think its great. I actually like how they focus on apparel and not shoes. I’m not a sneaker person at all. But even better is that they actually stay true to their name and only carry Limited Apparel (Boston), which means if you sleep you won’t get that shirt you wanted because there weren’t a million of them being printed up and sold as «limited». Although the selection of vinyl is a little on the small side this place is a great mixture of some of the different elements that help make up street culture today. I also found out that the owners did all the work themselves to get the place looking so well. So they get an extra few points for the DIY factor! Don’t Sleep!

LAB is a great place to shop and hang out. I have given up trying to fit into the hipster jeans but I like the t-​shirts and sweatshirts a lot here. The owners are very nice and are good sources of info on local night life as well. Check out events here too — art openings are pretty common and there’s a live internet radio show broadcast from here w/​live DJs on Wednesdays.
They actually have a pretty decent record selection here too focused mostly on electronica genres but some reggae stuff as well. This is more than welcome in a city that’s lost its good underground vinyl stores (Satellite & Trainspotters RIP).

This isn’t my type of store. But I brought a friend here who probably NEVER would have come to a place like this. She really liked the store — ended up buying a sweatshirt actually. Since then, she’s told me that it’s her new favorite piece of clothing.
The four stars are for making LAB an accessible store. It’s easy to feel «out of place» in a trendy store if you don’t walk in already looking like one of their mannequins. I have to say, although much of their merchandise is geared toward a certain population, not all of it is as good as placing a giant stamp on yourself. Well done with the selection.
I also liked the record section, though I have no idea who any of the artists were. The cool thing is that they have record players that you can (presumably, I didn’t try) listen to the music on. If I had time, I would have checked out a few.
The staff were nice and helpful. Not snotty. Not inhospitable. It made fore a fun browsing/​buying experience.

Pretty cool, pretty pricey, and pretty funky.
Cute shirts, great staff and fantastic selection of vinyl.
Way to go Allston!

I only come here for the records. The selection is good but the prices are a bit high. However, it’s not like there’s much competition left in this arena. Don’t expect much backstock. All the releases are pretty new (compared to the piles of beat-​up five-​ten year old Axis records you could get at Satellite, for example)

I think LAB is awesome. I am so excited that Allston is welcoming these urban type of stores which seem to be doing really well. I like LAB so much because of the staff, the art and the one of a kinds. I recently bought some Nick Z shirts which Kim, the owner told me she and he designed and they only made a few. I feel pretty lucky to have one. LAB also holds parties all around town. They recently had a fashion show with painters painting live at Joshua Tree. I couldn’t go, but I like that they are making the lifestyle accessible and the events fun.
LAB has great deals and sells the cool stuff you see online from all over including England. I won one of the Christmas raffles and got some really great stuff. They are laid back, friendly and are awesome for supporting local artists. Go buy some stuff.

Great place, great management!
Check out the current art exhibit by Michael Crigler of Birdhead Design while it’s still there. I believe it comes down on Feb 2^nd. It’s F’n amazing! 80+ paintings, plus limited edition t-​shirts and prints.
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Clothes there are absolutely dope. They’re always sellin’ out quick though and I know why. (I’ll never get that Hellz Bellz F*ck off t-​shirt…)
It’s the only store I’ve been to that carries HellzBellz. Someone tell me if there’s another one.
They also carry Married to the Mob Dimepiece (pretty much all gone by now, might wanna walk down the street & go to Re-​up for some dimepiece), they’re gonna be carrying Nails Did! & they always have random sales. Right now theyre doing a Xmas raffle that you can enter if you spend more than $ 25.
It’s such a fun store to go into and if youre very sweet, they let you take a red bull out their fridge!
Their staff is very friendly and welcoming. They swear and laugh alot. Who doesn’t love that?

So this is how techno hides, not with a bang, but a huffing fart in the direction of Hip Hop streetwear.
It’s funny, you’d think that with the people who go to heartthrob, the people who go to Thunderdome, make it new, events by Soul Clap, Basstown, etc, there would be a uniquely underlying style that differentiated oneself from the «urban hip hop head». But no, this is not it. A bunch of Stussy shirts, kid robot sweatshirts, and some spackles of «urban artwork» screen printed t-​shirts, WESC, lots of vinyl collectible Japanese designed toys, it’s all here, waiting for you to purchase. Sorry, no kicks for you, unless I didn’t see any, LAB seems to not want to compete in the arena. You’ll have to head to Bodega/​Karmaloop/​Concepts for the crazy shoes.
I realize that these are very cruel words, but I think it’s more of my opinion and disappointment with the entire «scene» in general. But such is life, and things run in cycles. We’re kind of on a downturn right now.
4 stars for keeping it interesting and exciting in actually selling techno records and artwork, but the clothes and toys just kind of seem played out. I realize that this stuff is still super hot right now, and I noticed some honorable attempts in unique directions that are further along the curve than BAPE knockoff… So here’s to hoping that we can get some kick offs to the future. Let’s keep those records spinning and that eye wash station clean!

LAB is one of those places where I don’t go into very often — not because it’s not great, but because I could easily drop a whole paycheck in there between the t-​shirts, hoodies, TokiDoki bags (still. need. one.), and vinyl toys. While the prices are about average for this sort of thing, they frequently have sales on many of the items in the store.
The owners have put together a very well laid out store, filled with hot clothes, the newest vinyl toys, and a small, but very well chosen, section of records. Every time I go in, the walls are lined with the work of different local artists, and they are always hosting one event or another to support local artists and DJs. Even before LAB opened, the owners were always supporting local artists in various endeavors and it’s great to see them bring that into the store and give a showcase to some people who may not receive notice otherwise.
This place is a huge step forward in making Allston more than just a place to get cheap beer and food, and see your friends band play.

My first review on Unilocal.
and i’m not one to write b/​c of my random thought process & i like to digress… and go off on tangents…
but after having visited this place… i had to.
it’s been a year since i’ve been in the allston area. no reason to head over there since i live in davis square…(eek, sorry to the allstonites…) anyways, as i’m biking past LAB, i did a double take. no, not at another bike, nor fellow biker, but the SPACE! i saw an art installation on the wall, and thought, «wowsers. what the hell is that?»…
i was in a rush, so i couldn’t head over. but i was ITCHIN’ to come back.
so i packed my picnic basket. biked ALL the way over just to pay them a visit.
i took a deep breath… stepped in.
and i was transported to a different world.
i was mesmerized.
and it blew my mind.
i met two guys there… todd & coppo. amazing. they regutted (is that a word?) & re-​did the floors & drywall, etc. on their own. it’s like their baby. and you can see passion oozing out of them.
mind you, it was my first time to meet them yesterday. and these guys really inspire me… to seek my passion…“just livin’ life” — as they said it.
anywho, i love how they’re really into supporting local artists.
bought beautiful tube top and/​or skirt… artist is in JP… oh shoot, forgot their name. but i love how LAB appreciates art & design, local or national or int’l. it’s not about the label per se, but about beautiful design.
i went in just expecting to window shop. i left as a proud owner of some women’s clothing items… knowing that they were limited & unique.
being myself, i asked coppo & todd to be what i thought was an appropriate question. «if you could be an insect, what would you be?»…now, some people do call me weird. at least i embrace it.
and coppo & todd’s answers were: *drum roll*…respectively, the japanese beetle (get him to show you the picture. it’s scary).and a modest-​looking worm. mine was ‘the ant lion.”…and we pulled it up on youtube to see this ant lion gobbling up an ant.
yea, bottom line: go hang out at LAB. with coppo & todd. beautiful design. beautiful clothes. gives me goosebumps to see the art. makes me want to cry.
whew. how’s that for a first review?

I am absolutely adoring this place after this weekend.
For whatever reason, street apparel for women is fairly limited and you’re sort of forced to head to Bodega and Karmaloop for that particular fashion. While both of those carry a decent selection of shoes and apparel, it’s pretty meager in comparison to what companies produce for men. Needless to say, the staff here is unparalleled. They quickly recognized the brands we were rocking that day HB and TankGirl and let us know of the various sales, expected merch to arrive, instore events, and music events coming up in the Boston area. I was surprised to see my former roommate spinning there as well. We were promptly put on mailing lists and email updates so we could get a little more involved with giving women more clothing options.
Artwork lines the walls, all pretty much fantastic one of a kind urban pieces and they also sell DIY Munny’s that you can paint yourself or purchase those created by some of our local and not so local artists. I can definitely see myself blowing loot on finders keepers figurines and oversized hoodies in the upcoming months.

They have some interesting stuff that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

An awesome selection of shirts, music, and other cool stuff. The staff is very friendly. It’s nice to see a more hip clothing store in Allston.

Stocked with urban wear and accessories, this is the place to find those rare TokiDoki bags, cool printed tees, KidRobot figurines and a small selection of hip-​hop and «electronica» records. The space is stark white, but features the work of local artists (think Legends of Style types) and they have listening stations! A purchase here will make you feel undoubtedly cool.

Yes. We finally have a dance music record store in Boston again. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK. For those that don’ know: DJ M used to buy the breaks and tech-​funk at now defunct Satellite records and now plies his trade bringing in the newest bangers you can’t find on the internet at LAB (dude is also a resident at Avalon/​Axis so don’t sleep).
They also have lots of rad t-​shirts that I can’t afford and feature some of the best local artists on the wall. So yeah, nice work guys, you earned your stars.

New FUNKY location hits Allston!
This great new store just opened up on Brighton that is not only a clothing store but a music shop and the place even throws cool events!
Opened by a former Avalon bartender and her partner the store is funky cool. Its filled with screenprinted T’s and cool hoodies from local designers and places all over the Globe like from Hong Kong to LA!
In the back they have a DJ booth and headphone where you can test out and purchase all sorts of music.
BUT IT DOES NOT STOP THERE, they hold weekly events to celebrate the rotating artists on their walls or the launch of new t-​shirt designs. Check the site to see when the next upcoming event in!