A Primer: Brooklyn-Themed Bars, Restaurants, and Ukulele Shops In Foreign Countries
Ukuleleshnaya, Moscow
There are actually a ton of Brooklyn-y businesses to choose from in Moscow—including a boutique “wholly devoted to obscure toothpaste and toothbrush brands”—and if you haven’t already read GQ editor Michael Idov’s story about the phenomenon in the Calvert Journal, we’d highly recommend.
Idov explains young Russians’ love of all things Brooklyn as such: “Call it a response to the peculiar predicament of the creative class: too cool for the mass market, not rich enough for the luxury market, it has created an in-between micromarket whose one basic requirement is unscalability.”
All of which brings us to Ukuleleshnaya. That name! The actual business model is a straightforward one, that is, the sweetly earnest peddling of ukuleles and vinyl (it seems they put on live shows in-house, as well). From Google Translate’s (rough) take on their website:
“The whole world is crazy about the ukulele. Just look how many clips on Youtube with a ukulele. Many musicians, professional and not, play on them, and throw some guitar for them and did not regret that. Very soulful instrument. We decided that the institution selling the ukulele, should be heartfelt.”
And from the section of the site where they actually sell instruments:
“ukulele we can talk for hours. For days on end. It begins with a painful choice. How to choose the right tool to price match the expectations that sound that is necessary to build normal, and, finally, that it was pleasant to watch. Buy ukulele can be many online offices, but admit: much interesting to come to a nice cozy shop and have a good time. In the U.S. store Ukulele , ukulele studio or club can be found at every turn.“
Their vision of Brooklyn (and the U.S. at large) as a ukulele-filled utopia is unexpectedly endearing.