The space that was once occupied by New York punk landmark CBGB, shuttered since its farewell run last October, will soon be filled with the designer suits and upscale fragrances of a John Varvatos boutique. The designer hopes to move into the vacant spot along the Bowery by March. If cancer hadn’t recently claimed CBGB founder Hilly Kristal, this news might have. The boutique is just the latest addition to hit the formerly dilapidated Bowery strip: Whole Foods and Starbucks were recently constructed as the street continues to morph from punky to yuppie. While we’re a bit pained picturing cash registers where Talking Heads and the Ramones once performed, New York City blog Gothamist points out that Varvatos is kind of a rock-star designer — Iggy Pop was a model in his fall 2006 ad campaign, and Alice Cooper, Slash and Ryan Adams have donned his designs. Still, we’d rather reminisce about better days at 315 Bowery.

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