Blends heeds its moniker by supplying colorful, diverse and stylish sneakers to an equally diverse and stylish Downtown crowd.

The newest of the three locations—the other two are in Costa Mesa and San Diego—the Downtown Blends keeps the industrial vibe alive thanks to owners Tak Kato and Mike Toe, who self-assembled their fitting benches and display racks out of metal piping. Resting on the shiny steel are 150 to 200 pairs of Nikes, Vans, Adidas, Pumas and Reeboks. About 80 percent of the collection is limited-edition and features enough variations of crisscrossed colors to put a Crayola-armed five-year-old to shame. The shoes may be designed for skating, playing basketball or running, but Kato assures his stock is purchased for fashion, not athletics. While the store also carries a few skateboard decks, T-shirts and hoodies, Kato also assures that Blends is still strictly about the shoes. Make sure to check out the display mirror at the front of the store—it's large enough to fit both connoisseurs and their massive shoe fetishes. —Dan Frazier