Lisa Biagiotti | multimedia journalist

Queens Tribune: Living The Hip-Hop Life In Corona

Inside All the Right’s Corona location.

At first glance, a high-end urban lifestyle boutique seems out of place above the Kennedy Fried Chicken on Junction Boulevard in Corona.

The wafting odor of fried chicken and the high-pitched sounds of electronic toys of the Chinese wholesaler next door could easily distract from what’s in between: a minimalist 10-foot-wide brick wall painted black.

Two brass-potted shrubs flank the glass entrance, and except for a black-and-white flag on the building’s second floor, All the Right boutique is almost invisible.

Owner George Landin said All the Right has transitioned from a record store with a recording studio and barber shop to a high-end apparel boutique in accordance with hip-hop’s four elements: DJ (disc jockey), MC (Master of Ceremonies), B-boy (break dancer), and graffiti.

Since 1998, All the Right has been a fixture in this working-class, mostly Latino neighborhood, attracting local rappers and graffiti artists and generating buzz by word of mouth as far away as Japan. Landin, who grew up in Corona, is now in the process of expanding All the Right’s vision and vibe to Los Angeles where he is scheduled to open another store in late February.

“I’m 36 years old, I’ve seen it, I lived it, I went to the clubs, I was a DJ, it’s natural,” said Landin, who sported a midnight blue oversized leather jacket, baggy Levi’s jeans, Air Jordan sneakers and a black baseball cap. “My whole movement, my whole life is hip-hop.”

His wedding band’s three diamonds flashed as he spoke with his hands about cherry picking limited items of exclusive men’s and women’s apparel and sneakers. His loyal customers often climb the narrow staircase to check whether the new shipments have arrived, or to pick up graffiti supplies from Japan and Germany and pre-released hip hop albums.

According to Landin, the hip-hop lifestyle component isn’t part of some corporate branding strategy. At a time when clothing stores emphasize lifestyle and the shoppers’ experience, All the Right has always embodied the way Landin lives.

“[It] comes from here,” Landin said, patting his chest. “I do it out of love; I don’t do it because it’s hot.”

Ulises Rivera, 20, of Corona, stopped by to hang out for three hours before work at the T-Mobile store on Junction Boulevard. Rivera has been a customer throughout All the Right’s phases – hair cuts, vinyl records, and now, clothes and sneakers.

“George looks out for people, it’s not just a sale,” said Rivera. “It’s like your father’s barber shop, with more of an ambiance; it’s more than just a place to shop.”

And to Landin, All the Right goes beyond being an offbeat shop ahead of the fashion curve. It’s part of his “hood” – an often overlooked place where rappers from Corona influenced and shaped hip-hop.

“This is like headquarters to certain people, we chill,” said Landin, whose friends and customers stop by to listen to music, strike up conversations on upcoming rap albums and little-known fashion lines, or create pieces on the store’s outdoor graffiti wall or ceiling tiles.
“This ‘hood has a mixture of everything – good, bad, ugly,” said Landin. “A little bit of everybody, somewhere, somehow.”

But with the boutique’s high ticket items like a $1,300 custom-made, chrome, low-rider bike, $500 Nike sneakers made out of tennis ball material, and designer denim that costs up to $400, who shops here?

“This is an exclusive shop in Queens,” said Che Williams, 30, of Flushing, and founder of Rotten Apple Wear urban street apparel. “You usually have to go down to SoHo. That’s why [Landin] gets all my money here.”
Johnny Castellanos, 20, said he drives an hour and 40 minutes every two weeks from Brentwood, L.I. to shop at All the Right.

“I wear anything that goes with my sneakers,” said Castellanos, who said he owns about 70 pairs. “I have to leave with something every time.” He purchased jeans and a black, turquoise and purple sweatsuit, which matched his Air Jordan sneakers.

After almost 10 years in business, All the Right is planning to elevate its exclusive urban vibe out in L.A., where a still-unnamed 2,000 square-foot-store near Rodeo Drive would sell home accessories, apparel for men and women, vintage eyewear, and random vintage items like an old sewing machine, according Landin’s partner, who goes by the name Moonshine.

Landin and Moonshine said the West Coast store would represent the same All the Right customer – the hardcore graffiti artist and skater, but more refined and grown up.
“[Our L.A. customer] still likes the cool T-shirts but now he wants a cool lamp for his living room. He now owns an apartment,” said Moonshine. “You have to be able to connect to your customer; we connect because we live the same lifestyle.”

And for Landin that means keeping All the Right rooted in his hometown of Corona with no plans to open another store in the five boroughs.

“I try to show people it’s not only Manhattan, Uptown or Brooklyn,” said Landin. “Why go that far when I’m here?”

All the Right is located at 35-61 Junction Blvd. in Corona. Call (718) 899-7685.

Queens Tribune: All it takes is a dollar and a wall

Outdoor handball courts empty out during colder months when hands begin to sting from slapping the ball. But serious handball players take the sport indoors and train at the Elks Lodge on Queens Boulevard, as part of a new Elks Fraternity membership initiative.

Handball hopefuls get a game in at CC Moore Homestead Park.

It’s easy to find a ball and a wall in Elmhurst.

On any mild day at CC Moore Homestead Park on Broadway and 45th Avenue, teenagers play handball, smoke cigarettes and hang out. Because of limited park space, handball is a popular recreational sport in the neighborhood. Outdoor handball courts empty out during colder months when hands begin to sting from slapping the ball.

But serious handball players take the sport indoors and train at the Elks Lodge on Queens Boulevard, as part of a new Elks’ membership initiative. These players credit handball with keeping them out of trouble, and several players have become nationally ranked by the United States Handball Association (USHA), in Tuscon, Ariz., where officials recognize Elmhurst players by their first names.

“I have a lot of friends who messed up their lives with drugs,” said Victor LoPierre, 22, a nationally ranked player and senior at Queens College. “Handball kept me away from that because I was busy playing. [It’s about] using handball as a tool to get more people focused on their lives.”

This motivated breed of Elmhurst handball players has another thing in common – they were all coached by Michael Watson.

Watson, 42, a former professional handball player, has voluntarily coached players on public courts for the past 15 years. He said he has traveled with his players to tournaments in Toledo, Ohio and as far away as Venice Beach, Calif.

“When I hit about 28, 29 [years old], I would go around the park, and nobody would play with the kids,” said Watson, a computer consultant who lives in Maspeth. “In the previous generation there was a disconnect, [experienced players] stopped playing with younger guys.”

But Watson said someone needed to teach young people the proper techniques of the game. He currently works with about 30 to 35 handball players, and approximately six to 10 closely several days a week.

“I always tried to pick the kids who are going to school, working, and are decent, well-mannered,” said Watson. “Every kid that I’ve touched has been a national champion at the junior level.”

There are three different types of handball games depending on the how many walls are in play – one-wall, three-wall and four-wall. While in New York, handball is predominantly played on concrete, one-wall courts with “big blue” balls, the rest of the country (and collegiate tournaments) tend to play on indoor four-wall courts with smaller ace balls.

LoPierre, of Forest Hills, was coached by Watson and has traveled all over the country and to Europe to play. In November, LoPierre placed third at the Italian handball tournament in Nizza Monferrato.

The sport is gaining international appeal, with Italian and Basque handball federations inviting U.S. players to compete. On the national level, the USHA said collegiate handball is the fastest growing tournament with 35 to 40 different colleges slotting up to 30 players in competition.

Some of Watson’s players have leveraged their handball skills into college financial aid packages.

“Ever since I found out I could get a [college] scholarship or some help, I started to fulfill my dreams, both academically and physically,” said Jonathan Iglesias, 21, a senior at the renowned handball college, Lake Forest College in Illinois.

“Everything I learned through handball I can transition to any part of my life,” said Iglesias, of Elmhurst. “[I see] how you can use handball to network, get into a good school and grow as a person.”

Now, these handball players are joining the Elks Lodge and focusing on giving back to the community. Coach Watson, an Elks officer, said he has recruited about 16 to 20 members – all handball players – to become junior members of the Elk’s Antlers under-21 program. They play handball on the indoor court, but also visit veterans’ hospitals and engage the community.

“It is almost a perfect situation because [the Elks are] in the neighborhood,” said Watson regarding the effort to boost the fraternity’s membership, which once swelled at over 5,000 members. Since then, the Elks have sold their historic, landmark building and rent the adjacent gymnasium facility. Membership has dwindled to 350, with the average age around 65.

“Only the youth can recapture the excitement of what the Elks was all about,” said Innunzio Russo, exalted Elks ruler.

But on another semi-warm day, kids crowd in Broadway Park and play street handball with cigarettes dangling from their mouths, whacking at the big, blue ball – it’s all part of the urban culture here.

“Anybody can play,” said LoPierre, an Elks member. “That’s what’s so great about [handball]. You can buy a ball for a dollar at the store and go play.”