A new Target store’s homage to its historic East Village club ends in apologies

The store built a facade resembling shuttered rock club CBGB

(Credit: benmychree2002/Flickr)
(Credit: benmychree2002/Flickr)

Target borrowed the aesthetic of a beloved punk club where bands like the Ramones once played and the feedback was immediate and visceral: No.

“They have committed what might be the most deplorable commodification of local neighborhood culture I’ve ever witnessed,” Jeremiah Moss, author of Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost its Soul tweeted, among an onslaught of outrage and disappointment, as Curbed reported.

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The launch event occurred two weeks ago and the outcry from local community members prompted the store to later issue an apology: “We sincerely apologize if some eventgoers felt it was not the best way to capture the spirit of the neighborhood. We always appreciate guest feedback and will take it into consideration as we plan for future opening events.”

The 27,000-square-foot store is part of Target’s roll-out of smaller-sized stores and is a ground floor tenant of Extell’s EVGB high-end rental building–EVGB stands for “East Village’s Greatest Building.” [Curbed]