 | Disappearing PlacesAn archive and collective map of places that no longer exist, at least not as they once did. |
Shiny Things
Posted On Tuesday May 1, 2007 By Jerry Powell
I’ve always been attracted to odd bits of neon; in fact, I spent several months combing most major streets in Austin looking for interesting larger-scale neon signs and other assorted shiny things in town. Call me simple, right?
This indoor neon display appeared to me one Thursday night after I’d had a late therapy session and something clicked in my brain. It’s in what was a common office area for two companies, Zocalo Design & Advertising and The Neon Jungle. It was across the parking lot from another neon vendor, but these were the more interesting pieces, in my opinion, particularly in the way they were assembled together.
Driving up South Lamar a few weeks ago, I noticed that both companies were out of the space; Zocalo leaving South Lamar for a posher space on East Sixth downtown, and The Neon Jungle off to parts unknown.
Tags: austin, neon, signs
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Somebody Beat The Wiz
Posted On Monday April 23, 2007 By Foo
For those of you outside the northeast The Wiz is an electronics retailer much like Best Buy, Circuit City, or Fry’s. Their slogan was “Nobody Beats The Wiz.” I ended up shopping there a lot while I was attending NYU. I bought my iPod there. You know, the brick sized 5GB one? I’m too embarrassed to use it in public now because it’s so freaking massive compared to the new ones. I feel like a stone age loser for having this huge antique MP3 player.
When Best Buy finally arrived in Manhattan I guess The Wiz just couldn’t take the heat and moved out. To be honest I hate Best Buy, it’s never a pleasant experience when I shop there. And I’ve held a grudge against them since I got laid off from my first job because the regional record store chain I worked for went out of business soon after Best Buy opened in my hometown. People always complain about Wal-Mart ruining local business, but the truth is all big box retailers share that responsibility, Best Buy and The Wiz included.
I guess what I’m saying is I don’t miss The Wiz, to me they were just as crappy as Best Buy, but I do miss other companies that Best Buy has helped eliminate. I’m worried that some day they will be our single crappy choice.
Tags: electronics, ipod, store
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The Crumbling Tower
Posted On Thursday April 12, 2007 By Drifter
I was 17 and going to a cartooning school in NJ. Late one Friday night a bunch of the guys decided to make a trip into the city. I had never been and they couldn’t believe it. Anyway, the first place we went was this part of Broadway and I ended up going in Tower Records. It was just rows and rows and rows of CDs and tapes. I just didn’t have anything to compare it to back home. Eventually I moved into the city, but by then mp3s had become a way of life. Napster and iTunes had so radically changed the world of music. It was only a matter of time before the physical record stores started going out of business. Just a few months ago Tower closed. I have mixed feelings about it because this is my first memory of New York. But I generally don’t find myself attached to big corporate retail establishments. And I can’t say I miss paying $17.99 for a 5 year old CD. Either way it’s the end of an era.
Tags: broadway, itunes, mp3s, music, napster, record, store, the-village, tower
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