Claire’s

There are always aspects of gentrification that make me scratch my head. A tween accessory store plucked from the middle of white suburbia was the last thing I thought I’d see smack dab in the middle of Washington Heights. But hey, earrings are earrings.
That being said, I needed a pair of cheap earrings to wear to an event, and QUICK.
If I was fifteen years younger, I’d be in Heaven. Jewelry and accessories as far as the eye can see, pop music blasting… I really felt that I was in a mall for some brief, fleeting moments. In some ways, Claire’s has not changed since my youth at all. Instead of them touting items with N’Sync or blink-​182 and copious amounts of body glitter roll-​on sticks in coconut scents, everything is about One Direction. Kayne West-​shutter shade glasses have «YOLO» printed on front of them. And everything just screams, «DEAR GOD! I’M THIRTEEN! PAY ATTENTION TO MEEEEEE! HARRY STYLES IS SUCH A CTUIE!!!»
Well, the layout is clean and uncluttered. The one woman working the store greeted me with a monotone, «Hello, and welcome to Claire’s, ma’am,» as she stared out at 181^st Street. I bypassed the mess of tweenness and I was able to get earrings with no hassle at all, which was nice. They may be of the quality you’d expect from Claire’s…i.e., not so great, but in a pinch, when you need a pair of cheap gold hoops, you’re covered. I’m sure this new location will do quite well. On the whole, it certainly is of no real appeal to my 28 year old self other than when I’m having an accessory emergency.