Inside the Y2K Popup at Decades
Are you one of the forgotten Generation Y, or just obsessed with this era? You miss those Lisa Frank stationary sets and Beanie Babies…. and have no idea where to find all of those POGS and baseball cards you collected.
Decades’ (1209 Connecticut Ave.) newest Y2K pop-up is perfect for you!
Designed and built by local female artists Anna Pineapple and Kira Tai, the pop-up is a throwback to the retro late 90s and early aughts, when that generation between the Xers and the Millennials was coming of age. It may have been odd, but it was awesome, too.
“I want the nostalgia to hit people at every glance! Music, games, toys, pop culture, celebrities… there was so much happening that was fun and outrageous at the time,” says Kira Tai.
Among the things you’ll see at the pop-up are a Year 2000 NYE ball drop, a Lisa Frank tribute wall, a glow in the dark Nintendo area, all 5 of the *NSYNC marionette dolls, flip phones, hit clips, furbies, Macintosh computers, and all of your favorite forgotten movies, artists, and books.
The bar and table tops are covered with hand cut and arranged magazine clips and photos from 1995-2005. There are also over 1,000 CDs on the walls and hung from the ceiling for you to remember the good old songs you sang to as you sip on drinks like the Red Hot Chili Peppers — a spicy Jameson beverage — or a peach and vanilla cognac cocktail the Kill Bill.
“The details are what really make this pop-up bar special. This is not a turnkey pop-up. We sourced 20-year-old magazines, cut them up, and collaged every inch of this place. Want to read Rolling stone’s review of The Prodigy’s album from 1997? We have that. Interested in bruising your ankles on a razor scooter after a few cocktails? We can make that happen. Ultimately this is the result of two women who miss pressing a button 3 times [on an old school T3 keyboard] to get to the letter C,” says Anna Pineapple.
Y2K Pop–Up will run through the end May 2019. You can visit Sunday – Thursday from 5pm – 1am, and Friday-Saturday from 5pm – 2am.