Kanye West’s ‘Pablo’ pop-up brings the lines to downtown Manhattan

Kanye West is currently controlling the world with pop-ups, and New York is along for the ride. The temporary store, taking over event space Supermarket on 363 Broadway until Sunday, is being kept at a typical West-level of exclusivity, with windows and doors covered in black fabric so passers-by can’t take a peek at the Pablo merch.

As of Friday morning, the line had wrapped around Broadway and Walker Street, ending near Church Street. At a very slow pace, security let a few shoppers in at a time, giving each fan an opportunity to browse the merchandise, but leaving about a hundred people outside waiting.

One local Kanye fan, Charlie Ise, used an online opportunity to get some sleep instead of starting his wait at 4 a.m. Friday.

“I actually used a service, and they waited in line for me, and I just got here around 10 a.m.,” he said.

After checking out what previously opened pop-ups around the world were offering, Ise was looking forward to getting his hands on Gotham-exclusive apparel.

“The gear looked pretty cool in the other cities,” Ise said. “I’m looking forward to what New York has in stock.”

Each of the 21 pop-ups are featuring items exclusive to their city. A preview with Complex showed hats, T-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies and jackets with a “New York” insignia on the front — in the Gothic text that has appeared on his past merchandise. The Pablo apparel ranges in price from $45 to $325.

But fans weren’t the only people surrounding the pop-up shop. At least five police officers were actively patrolling the area, making sure the barricades were keeping shoppers in line and not blocking the various surrounding entrances to boutiques and apartment buildings.

Check out the lines yourself before you head out to brave the wait and get your Kanye-approved apparel.