Back in the day I would spend the hours before a concert wandering around the Barnes And Noble under Madison Square Garden, picking up books, CDs and movies. It was a different time of course, and nowadays these amenities’ aren’t really needed but then books weren’t bytes and you could handle what you purchased.
Before even those days, life was one long record store and I spent my life going through bins of records. I remember picking up a shrunk wrapped “The Sound Of Music” with a sticker of a Creem quote I had written.
Those days are gone though where that MSG B&N had been now lies a Pop Up Store through the end of December, selling all things One Direction… which isn’t much, admittedly. Tees and DVDs but no tickets for shows because God knows they’re sold out by now. And kudos to their band management who not only traversed the "shower of cunts" controversy but have found yet another revenue stream
I work nearby and wandered into the store during lunch. It looked like 1Ds career five years from now, more sales people than customers, and a kinda dusty day after Christmas vibe about the place. A 1D video is playing on monitors and some sale person is half heartedly singing along, the entire place is quiet and drastic… Have you ever opened up a nightclub in the middle of the day? Well, it is not unlike that.
At least there is lots of space and I bet it is all gonna be needed on December 7th…