Block Party: Ten steps to coolness on 14th Street

Sure, Chicago has its snobby Magnificent Mile.

New York has its hippie Soho.

Omaha has its horse-and-carriage Old Market.

But do any of those cities have the "Punk Rock Mini-Mall"?

No. They sure don't. That's why Lincoln's special, folks.

The block of shops on 14th Street between O and P streets in Lincoln stands as a power-shopping center for the heart of the downtown counterculture. With music, vintage and specialty clothes, rare movies, used books and food, the city block is chock-full of groovy goods, whether you're alternative or not.

Let the Daily Nebraskan take you on a short tour down our very own old, magnificent Soho of sorts. If we think it's cool, it must be, right?

Right.

Stop One: The Post & Nickel

Offering a plethora of designer togs, The Post & Nickel has been on the 14th Street block since 1966.

Manager Carrie Sup said she thought the Post & Nickel's location definitely helped business.

"We're on a block with pretty heavy retail," Sup said. "I don't think there's anything much like it downtown."

Stop by the guys' Hitchin' Post downstairs or the girls' Wooden Nickel upstairs if you're looking for Diesel jeans, Campers shoes or Dolce and Gabbana gear.

If you're in the market for big name designers or the best in formals, the P&N is the only place in town for such swanky apparel.

Stop Two: Zoo Bar

As the second oldest tenant of the 14th St. block, the Zoo Bar, established in 1973, is Lincoln's best place for live blues music.

Having recently closed down 14th Street in a two-day culmination of its 29th anniversary, the Zoo Bar lived up to its reputation for good blues and rock music, drawing crowds despite bad weather.

Jeff Boehmer, co-owner of the Zoo Bar, said he thought the bar was well-located on 14th Street.

"If anything," he said of the shops, "we help each other out."

Stop Three: Homer's Music & Gifts

Previously located on O Street, Homer's moved to the 14th Street strip in December 2001.

"Our old location was dingy and dark and depressing," said Homer's manager Charlie Burton. "This is a better location for us."

Though people couldn't seem to find Homer's after it moved, Burton said people are finally getting used to having the record shop in a new location.

"December was a bad time to move," he said. "But now that word has gotten out, things are good."

Burton said Homer's trademark music offerings - which include pop, rock, jazz, techno, local, classical and indie music, among other things - fit well with the artsy flavor of the 14th Street block.

"We're all in this together, symbiotically joined in spirit," he said. "Though we all have different owners, we're all neighbors."

Stop Four: Zero Street Records

Mike Garber capitalized on the opportunity to move up last September - up from the basement of the Ozone, that is.

Garber, owner of Zero Street, moved his record shop into its current location the week after Sept. 11, he said, to more business than expected.

"It wasn't so bad for us," Garber said. "I don't think we saw so many of the repercussions as others did.

"Because we had been in (The Ozone's) basement, we saw business go up right away."

Being in the public eye - and in between Homer's and the Ozone - has been good for Zero Street, Garber said.

"This is a specialized area," he said. "I think (the shops) kind of feed off of one another well."

Visit Zero Street if you're looking for vinyl, of course, as well as compact discs and hip posters.

Stop Five: Boondoggle's

Though it's being forced to close because of a failure to meet city fire codes, Boondoggle's offers Lincolnites some of the funkiest - and most liberal - political and social paraphernalia in town.

Grown from a few shelves owner Angela Hatcher previously rented at the Ozone, Boondoggle's will reside in the basement of Zero Street until the end of July.

After that, Hatcher said customers can find Boondoggle goods online at www.ideviate.net until she decides whether or not the store will find a new home in the downtown area. Any information about store locations will be posted and sent out in e-mails, she said.

Boondoggle's opened in what Hatcher termed the "punk rock mini-mall" on April Fool's Day this year.

"I figured it was appropriate," she said.

Hatcher said the block was a good spot for Boondoggle's, though the store, with its alley-way entrance, was hard to find.

"People have just started to find us," she said. "But this block is great. It's a punk rock mini-mall: there's music, there's clothes, there's books. It's a one-stop shop for the counterculture."

Stop Six: The Ozone

If the Post & Nickel is too pricey for your tastes, try heading down the block to The Ozone, where you'll stumble across 14th Street's oasis of vintage clothes, bags and shoes.

Sitting on the block for almost four years, the store has extended summer hours and racks on the sidewalk to tantalize both clotheshorses and wallets with its array of funky T-shirts and low prices.

Kevin Chasek, body piercer for the Ozone, said the store's spot on the block has served it well. People who shop at Homer's might also want to stop by the Ozone, he said.

"I think it's good because people tend to like to have convenient locations, and to have shops that are kind of in the same mindset," Chasek said. "There tends to be a lot more foot traffic later in the day, when it cools down."

The Ozone offers shoppers buttons, patches, in-store T-shirt customization, piercing services and a whole bunch of that Hello Kitty stuff the kids go for these days, too.

Stop Seven: A Novel Idea

Summer is a good time to get your read on, but don't let the school year or hefty prices at chain bookstores stop you from reading year-round; A Novel Idea makes reading easy and cheap.

In it's 12th year on the 14th Street block, the bookstore is going as strong as ever, planning renovations soon.

Cinnamon Dokken, one of the owners of A Novel Idea, said she thought the block offered something for everyone.

"We see people come in with Post & Nickel bags, Homer's bags," Dokken said. "People are shopping all places. We have very compatible businesses and great people here. They all kind of go together."

A Novel Idea also markets its wares on the sidewalk: check out the sale books outside before heading inside to browse bookshelves and pet the in-store cats, O.K. and Silas.

Stop Eight: Late Nite Video

With all the books and music available, movies had to come to 14th Street sometime, and Late Nite Video owner Curtis Peterson brought his quirky film collection to the block last December.

"Years ago a friend and financial advisor said that a video store might be something I'd be interested in," Peterson said. "At the time I wasn't interested at all, but I developed a love for films, and (opening a store) was the obvious choice."

Dokken said she thought the video store complemented the block's shops nicely.

"The video store is great and makes a wonderful addition to the block," she said.

Peterson said the entertainment aspects of many of the 14th Street shops knit them together as a little community "off the beaten path."

"A lot of entertainment areas are represented," he said. "This block of shops is really powerful for downtown Lincoln."

Late Nite Video has a wide collection of independent, foreign, Anime, exploitation and out-of-print films. Rentals for nonmembers are $2.50 for three days.

Independent, foreign, rare and out-of-print films are available only to Late Nite members at $1.50 for four days. Memberships cost $7.50 a month or $60 for one year.

Check the upcoming Campus Cash coupon booklets for discounts at Late Nite.

Stops Nine and Ten: Ali Baba's Gyros and Greek Gyros

After all the shopping, of course you're going to be hungry, and these two gyro staples have just the Greek treats to satisfy even the hungriest of alternative shoppers.

Watch chefs slice meat off of rotating slabs of beef or lamb at Ali Baba's, wrap it up with lettuce, tomatoes and a tasty cucumber sauce and take your food on-the-go for more shopping or stay inside for cool, comfy dining.

Of all the places to go in Lincoln, perhaps none are so eclectic and plentiful as those on14th Street.

Take a walk down the block and see why the city really does have something to talk about.

Click here to take a tour of the cool shops on the 14th block.