Week In Review: Weird Politics on the LES, Changes at WVill Banana, Touch o' the Hamptons on Bowery

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Before the weekend begins, check out a quick rundown of the top ten Racked stories of the past five days.

1) Lower East Side: A "Who Killed Obama" top was spotted in an Orchard Street boutique. Tasteless? Yes.

2) West Village: The Banana Republic on Bleecker Street will soon reopen as a store called Monogram. Catchy, huh?

3) Bowery: Hamptons boutique Blue & Cream's plans for Bowery beach chairs were revealed.

4) Bowery: More Bowery boutique news: Work on the John Varvatos store rising in the old CBGB's space finally resumed after an unexplained months-long break.

5) Noho: The downtown location of Caravan called it a day.

6) Gramercy/Flatiron: Stuy-Town and Peter Cooper Village got their very own overpriced gym, Oval Fitness. Rent hikes be damned, those ellipticals sound sweet!

7) Cobble Hill: Urban Outfitters picked a date, lucky no. 13, for the opening of their first Brooklyn store.

8) West Village: Sweets shop Chocolate Bar revealed they'd be leaving their original Eighth Avenue storefront, and the people wept.

9) UES: Phase 1 of Dylan's Candy Bar's expansion is complete. Hooray.

10) Soho: Video and game-rental center MoviebankUSA failed on West Houston Street. The future of their planned Williamsburg outpost looks grim.