Unique Clothing Store in the Vill

I was listening to the radio the other day and all of a sudden the unmistakeable piano line from Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman" comes on. That disjointed piano line (which always sounded to me like a piano filtered to sound as if it were out of tune) took me straight back to 8th Street in the Village. Unique.

To many of us growing up in New York City, Unique Clothing Store was more than just a store. It was our true introduction to the alternative scene we had just perused through the pages of The Village Voice. It was THE Greenwich Village destination, whether you got off the R train at 8th Street and walked directly there or got off the E or F train at West 4th and walked up to it. The funny thing is, I don't ever really remember really buying any clothes there. It was the place to be seen and the scene first, clothing store second.

The shopfront was lorded over by airbrush artists that could turn an ordinary pair of jeans or denim jacket into a true work of art. When you walked in, you could often find Roger S selling his Egotrip tapes to kids hungry for his eclectic house sound. I'm pretty sure he'd be the first one to tell you that he wouldn't be where he is (international DJ superstar, Ibiza's crown prince) without his time served at Unique slinging tapes with that dope triangle logo.

And then there was the back of the store, which faced Lafayette. First off, most people didn't know the back was open like that. And second of all, you had to be cooler than school to hang out back there. Long hair? check. Stomper shoes? check. T shirt worn over a blazer? Check, check.

Those were great times, where we began to explore fashion (like the big-soled stomper shoes) and when getting into clubs (like Red Zone, The Building, Mars) was never a given because most of us were too young and using fake ID. The prospect of not getting in made actually making it through the velvet ropes a whole lot sweeter, the music a whole lot better.

But all good things come to an end. Rumors that Unique was closing down to be replaced with a PC Richards or some other electronics store monstrosity turned out to be true (I don't even know what the space is now, I kind of pass by there without looking as if to hold on to Unique in some way). Eventually Red Zone closed down, The Building lost its lease, and I don't even want to know what over-priced, eurotrash attracting, people in suits trying to dance with a drink on the dancefloor monstrosity of a club it turned into. The only places that are worth it in the Meatpacking District are Cielo and Apartment. The Unique crew went its separate ways, some of us gravitating towards the even more alternative of the East Village, others reverting back to straight hip hop. But for a short time in our lives, we were all Unique.