I'd love to check out that Varick music/wine place when it opens.

I'm very familiar with the jazz cafes like Naru. When my parents were young & they were dating, they always went to those music cafes where DJs would spin jazz & classical records in their booths. Those used to line the streets near universities, called "daehak-ro" - university lane. I remember seeing a few of those when I was younger, too, so they weren't completely outmoded.

Incidentally, the link I provided bemoans the fact that how those jazz cafes & record stores disappeared from the university neighborhoods, and how much of that kind of romance is dead... except maybe places like the Taschen Classic 1812 will revive the movement... it's interesting how the Taschen cafe has the Altec A5, just as Naru does in the link that Michael provided. I think the Asian audiophiles are much more keen to preserve & adhere to brands like JBL, Altec, Garrard, Thorens, McIntosh, etc., because of their memories of those jazz cafes... they place more of a sentimental value to them because they played an integral role of their youth, their social lives.

Another interesting fact - which Michael Lavorgna may already know - is that Haruki Murakami was a jazz cafe owner before he turned writer. His cafe was called "Peter Cat." I think they had some live music, etc. Murakami, too, in some interview I read, also credits JBL speakers to introducing him to hi-fi, I think.

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Surely you jest. I remember when Borders first came to my town, at that time Portland Maine. They had stands where one could listen to CD's on a CD player. They 'improved' the system with a server based system resulting in a system where every record sounded exactly alike as far as sound quality went, BAD. I moved to Idaho and my local Borders also has a server based system. They 'improved' their system so as to provide mono sound...mono because one side of the headset was not functioning in every headset in the store. When I noted it to their staff, they were at first unaware and then dismissive of the issue. I now buy ALL my music off the internet at Amazon where I can at least hear the tracks on my computer in stereo, even though my system is far from high fidelity, just better than Borders.

And they wonder why brick and morter music store chains are failing!

JIMV. I have ZERO clue what you're talking about, this is bizarre. Did you even bother to click on the link in my post to look at the pics, let alone read my post? That is NOT the Borders music section with crappy earphones, man. Taschen Classic 1812 has Dynaudio C4 speakers and Altecs, driven by McIntosh electronics, top-rate turntables. I'm pretty positive that it sounds phenomenal in that space, but that's not the sole point. The bigger point is that they have a set-up like that in a shared, communal space, where book and wine lovers can gather, listen to killer records, browse through a Gerhard Richter catalogue raisonne or something, talk about art & life, eat a good piece of steak, bob heads to some Mingus. Together.

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(I dream about jazz and Johnnie Walker at Peter Cat)

You're a demented soul, Michael Lavorgna, if you dream about Johnnie Walker. Better hide my cats when I see you around.

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I was responding to the 'why cannot we do this here' idea. I agree the chain you posted to was magic. I was remarking on the state of what we DO get here. Our chains that pretend to providing music are retreating quality, not unlike the MP3 buying public, not advancing into better spund and a quality experience.

Got it. Thanks for the clarification, buddy.

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It would be wonderful to have places like this for all of us to enjoy. I have no idea if people would go however.

I think that is the key element of this topic. (Thanks, JIMV, for reminding me of that in a different way with the Borders example.) Our culture's been so thoroughly co-opted & mass-corporatized, that even if there were places like Taschen Classic 1812, there might not be enough people who would go. Pretty sad, no? Places like Taschen Classic 1812 can make money in places like Seoul and Tokyo because for the aging generation of people who were youths in the 60s and 70s, jazz & classic cafes were a vital part of their experience, as Michael's link demonstrates. They would go not only for the good books, music and alcohol, but for the sake of nostalgia which reminds them of the lost years of their youth during which they cared, passionately, about what was important to their lives - art, music, literature, sex, politics... and as the pictures can testify, I'll bet a lot of young people would be drawn to places like Taschen Classic 1812, with its modern decor, cool books, and cool music. Imagine: they can blast some Radiohead on the Altecs, maybe, while the kids are reading about the protagonist from Murakami's Kafka on the Shore listening to Kid A on his earphones. That'll hook the kids for sure. (Then Johnny Walker would appear in the book & that'll scare the crap out of 'em.)

To get back to Elk's point, I think in NYC, store/restaurant/cafes like Taschen Classic 1812 will work. What do you think?