New Word Alert

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Over at This Recording, Alex Symonds has coined a term to describe the fake old-school aesthetic at so many new upscale Bowery businesses: "Authentrification." Stores like John Varvatos's tribute to CBGB's aren't just gentrifying the neighborhood, she writes. "In their quest for authenticity, they’re seizing on elements that represent the area’s past and repurposing them as a design scheme." [TR]