PLEASE GET A PERMISSION BEFORE YOU TAKE ANY PICTURES OR SELPHIES INSIDE OF THIS ESTABLISHMENT. (See my attached photo of the "CAUTION" sign.) ALSO, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR BAG(S) AT THE FRONT CASHIER.
1. The SEARCH & DESTROY is a truly historical museum-like commercial retail shop from the old days of East Village area of Manhattan, New York. The nearest subway station is Astor Place (4, 6 line). It is on the second floor (separate entrance) of the building, right above the popular Japanese Izakaya-style casual restaurant on the very popular and busy street. In the large window, you always see eye-catching and even shocking "(old) Village style" display such as the electrically rotating tied up busty female mannequin sporting the SMBD shinny black latex costume hovering over the mountain of full size human skeleton models and naked vinyl infants. (See my attached photograph below.)
East Village was once the center of the unique and distinctive underground culture (subculture, counter culture) of New York City decades ago. Such influential culture had many aspects and faces in this area. One of the most recognized styles was called "punk".
2. MERCHANDISES: The floor was literally packed with merchandises, and it is difficult to walk around without bumping into any displayed items here, so, be very careful. (The same can be said to the Obscura Antiques shop, full of taxidermy animals near by here. See also my post of this shop in yelp.) This freaky dim-lighted overly crowded shop sell the used, vintage, antique, and outdated yester years' relics. tons of Tie-dye T-shirts & then-fashionable T-shirts, leather shoes, cabaret hats, punk rock leather jackets, etc. (like the super popular and giant Urban Jungle vintage store in Queens).
This shop also sell strange items, oddities, curiosities, circus sideshow gaffs, and freaks (such as a bottled Asian pickled real cobra snake, sideshow gaff including the pickled two-headed baby and their full body skeletons on the stand, etc.) I have been a professional sideshow gaff master, so, I love those.
In addition, they also sell vintage adult shop XXX rated goods such as adult sex toys, VHS porno video tapes, sexy SMBD costumes, etc.
3. ALERT: In addition, although they stopped displaying BUT they used to display and sell a variety of merchandises of the horrific Hitler's Nazi Germany (flags, accessories, T-shirts, jackets, military uniform & hats, etc.) when I fist visited there in 2000. Not all the "punk" culture is affiliated with the Nazi Germany. Rather, it is a minority even among people here in New York City. This extreme aspect of the"punk" culture, which affiliated with the Nazi Germany may had been acceptable decades ago by the extreme liberal & political left anything-goes punks then. Nevertheless, they became no longer even being condoned among the most "edgy" and "progressive" antisocial fanatics and radicals today.
4. This is a store before the e-commerce, where you can physically see, feel, touch, try wearing it in person before you purchase the dust-covered ancient treasure on the spot. This is especially important for those valuable and tricky (and even fake) vintage items.
5. SEARCH & DESTROY, as a consignment store, also sells hand-made cloths, hand-processed silk screen printed T-shirts, and shinny & sexy SMBD accessories, created by the local artists. If you want support the living local artists, buy these.
6. The prices of the merchandises displayed and sold at the SEARCH & DESTROY are not cheap, just as any items sold here in East Village (and any prime locations in Manhattan). This is NOT a Goodwill second hand store.
NOTE: If the price is all you care about, then, you may want to buy the similar items with nearly 1/3 to 1/5 of the price here over the internet shops via your computer at home. Nevertheless, some of the items sold here may be so rare and unusual, that can not be found anywhere today in NYC. So, you have to make up your mind.
7. In 2000, there were several more strange and weird stores of subculture like this in this area. One of such stores near by was frequently visited by the King of Pop Michael Jackson himself. Sadly, most of them were gone. (I wonder how many shops like this came and gone since 1960s in this area?) Today, these were replaced by the more fashionable, hip and even edgy commercial retail stores with bright lights and common boutique-like display. (The same can be said to the tattoo shops today here. They all became the clean and neat shops like upscale barber shops or hair salons, sadly, in my personal opinion.)
If you are an adventurous eccentric adult AND have never been to SEARCH & DESTROY in East Village, I highly recommend you visit here. You may find an unthinkable yesterday's and today's distinctively unique East Village style treasures to take home with you here.
Dr. Takeshi Yamada and Seara (Coney Island sea rabbit)
Many photos were posted. read more