Photographic Evidence: CBGB Space Turned Into A Store Where People Can Overspend On Hoodies, Follow "Vinyl Is Back" Trend

photographic evidence

CBGB Space Turned Into A Store Where People Can Overspend On Hoodies, Follow "Vinyl Is Back" Trend

The John Varvatos store in the former CBGB space has opened. Racked stopped in over the weekend, and it's about as EPCOT-on-the-Bowery as you might expect: "Fans of leather and false nostalgia, rejoice: the space has been remade in a faux-punk ethic, with walls adorned with vintage concert poster reproductions; a section dramatically demonstrating the evolution of what used to be called A/V equipment; plenty of guitars, drumsets, and amps; and even bins of vinyl up front for browsing and buying. Racked's drop-by around 2pm found a relatively sparse crowd, and, worse, no free booze. The front vinyl racks attracted browsers, though." Well, of course they did! Vinyl's the new old thing, you know. [Racked]

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6:00 PM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By Maura Johnston
538 views
12 comments

Comments

by HONEYBFLY at 07:33 PM on 04/07/08
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Selling everything under the sun BUT music...yeah, sounds like MTV and Virgin Megastores.

Am I the only one noticing a trend on Idolator today??
by SuperUnison at 07:34 PM on 04/07/08
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I personally can't wait until I hit my peak earning years and can watch noise aesthetics be commodified.
by joshservo at 08:38 PM on 04/07/08
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No theme restaurant? Darn. I was looking forward to the day that CBGB stood for "Cheese Burger, Good Burger."
by mike a at 09:59 PM on 04/07/08
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I wonder what happens if you touch the instruments. Do you get thrown out?
by mackro at 11:08 PM on 04/07/08
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I bought the miniature plastic CBGB's bathroom set. It's just not the same.
by The Notorious T at 08:22 AM on 04/08/08
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Oh my Christ. They turned it into a high-end Hot Topic.
by capnbecki at 10:32 AM on 04/08/08
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I'd love to comment but I have to go and cry now....
by the rich girls are... at 10:35 AM on 04/08/08
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I'm not going to feel bad about uh, actually liking some of the clothes -- but belabored nostalgia always turns my stomach.
by AustinSoundcheck at 11:05 AM on 04/08/08
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Fantastic. More mass-produced crap to buy. What a tremendous replacement for a one-of-a-kind music venue that had decades of history behind it.

Bravo!
by Wasp vs Stryper at 02:46 PM on 04/08/08
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As a huge Television, Bad Brains & 24-7 Spyz fan who lived for CBGBs, even through the last days when the emo-y bands would play to two bums and a bunch of Japanese tourists buying shirts, I hate to be on the other side of the fence - BUT - John Varvatos is a good guy.

There. I said it. He is a good guy and apparently a rock fan.

At least they tried to keep some semblance of spirit in there. I mean, it could be worse - it could have turned into an oxygen bar or a male skin care place or a high priced "eatery" with a one word name or even another terrible five room boutique hotel - or it could have been bulldozed and grazed to make way for a lot to build other horrible stuff on.

Maybe instead of bitching about CBGBs, we could all go out and catch shows and buy some beers at the smaller venues that are still open... so it doesnt have to keep happening.
by ninety_nine at 03:12 PM on 04/08/08
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@AustinSoundcheck: Obviously, you've never been to Varvatos -- or to CBGB's at any point in the past 15 years.
by capnbecki at 06:05 PM on 04/09/08
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@Wasp vs Stryper: Going to small venues and spending my money there is pretty much my life, so... I'm going to keep bitching. P-)