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| - Calgary is not known for its hip hop scene. But it has one, it's growing, and The Gallery is a fresh new place that represents the creativity, passion and straight up dope fashion sense that typifies the local scene.
Rather than a dark, intimidating space, it's a brightly lit store playing electro beats, old school hip hop and funk. The walls are whitewashed to better display the artwork for sale on the walls. There's a bright red couch and no sign of bling or half-naked women (on t-shirts, or in real life) or other gangster rap stereotypes. Everything on the sales floor clears away to make room for art show openings or parties; beats provided from the dj booth in the back. And, at least for now, you'll probably get helped by the 22-year-old store owner, who knows most local hip hop heads by name.
They carry Upper Playground (heart!), El Kartel, Rocksmith, Build-A-Boy, PF Flyers, Light and Soul, and I believe that they'll be carrying Huf and In4mation soon. Most stuff comes with a Canadian premium (read: pricey), but it's reasonable if you don't enjoy paying for shipping or scouring the interwebs for days for a place that will ship up here.
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