The Cafaro Brothers—Alberto, Vincenzo and Angelo—is also the team behind BX Sports, a sneaker and lifestyle apparel retailer found across the Bronx, including the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District. Since 1997 the trio has been hard at work building a sneaker and style empire across the Bronx.

BX Sports is a “true family business” with the three brothers at the helm supported by their sister and mother. For Alberto, “family is what makes the engine run.”

When Alberto’s brother Vincenzo first decided to open up a sneaker store he was just 22 years old. At the time, the brothers were working in a shoe store in their native Queens, learning the ins and outs of the fashion retail world. But they wanted more. So they headed up to the Bronx, settling in a former Super Cuts at 2181 White Plains Rd.

“[Vincenzo] just wanted to see if he could do it; to see if he could run a successful small business at the age of 22,” said Alberto.

With the support of his family, the BX Sports brand grew to include a second store two years later, and a third store a year after that. At present BX Sports operates stores in Norwood, Mott Haven, Soundview, and Pelham Parkway with over 40 employees.

The location at 3476 Jerome Ave. in the BID has been open since 2003. For the first 10 years of its operation Alberto was in the store every day, rare for a store owner, meeting with customers and connecting with neighboring small business owners. He’s seen customers grow up, start families, and have kids. Those kids who’ve grown up are now BX Sports employees. “It is generational,” said Alberto.

Alongside a changing industry and changing consumer habits, the BX Sports team has had to innovate and adjust. “The business has always been buy, sell. You see a pair of shoes on the rack, you buy them,” said Alberto. But now Alberto says BX Sports has to be more creative in their engagement with customers, relying more on multimedia content and marketing to get shoppers’ attention.

“The goal hasn’t changed. The goal is always to make sure the family is good, to do the things we want to do in life,” said Alberto. However, “the vision has changed, because the world has,” said Alberto. BX Sports’ next move—a community space dedicated to fashion, art, and music—reflects this changing vision. Inspired by the Italian social clubs of yesteryear and the community arts spaces of today, their next venture will open on White Plains Road in January 2020.

The new location will serve as a space for performances, photoshoots, art shows, and events. The first of its kind in the neighborhood, Alberto wants to show that BX Sports is a “hands on, community driven brand” dedicated to providing “people from the Bronx a place to showcase their talents.”

Follow BX Sports on Instagram @bxsportsny, or visit their online store at bxsportsny.com.