Brooklyn Graffiti Supply Store Ignites Fears of Vandalism

BROOKLYN—Alphabeta, a new graffiti art supply store based in Greenpoint, is generating a backlash from anti-vandalism advocates, reports AM/New York.

"I am determining what, if any, steps to take against it," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., a democrat from Queens, who compared the store to a criminal supply shop. "Maybe I should work to get a police camera outside [the store]."

Alphabeta owner Leif McIlwaine, 24, describes the store as "a professional graffiti arts supply store and gallery." It has about 800 square feet of retail space, as well as a 5,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor gallery, which will be used for shows and as a space for graffiti artists to paint. In addition to spray paint, the store sells graffiti-culture accessories, such as boom boxes and throwback sneakers.

McIlwaine has said that he will be careful not to sell spray paint to minors. He insists that his business is legitimate and that he is trying to develop a clientele of professional graffiti artists, not vandals.

Vallone in not convinced. "How naïve does he think we are? There is not enough of any legal graffiti to support a store."