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4S& :?5> WH E RE^' By Cortney Owin "A motto?" The two guys behind the counter debated the question. "The cheanest in town." Chris offered. "I was thinking we could steal the motto off the back of the Tubes' album," Dan said. "Credibility, growth, direction." Anywhere else the obscure reference to the now-defunct '80s band might seem odd. But not at New Clear Days ? a store that got its name from an album by the New Wave band the VaDors and is owned by two guys with musical tastes as diverse as the Buzzcocks and the Dream Syndicate. Chris Bickel and Dan Cook opened New Clear Days in June 1994 across from the Horseshoe on Sumter Street. Both University of South Carolina graduates had grown tired of "working for The Man" when they decided to open the record store. "I had planned on opening a store with another guy and it just didn't pan out," Chris said. "I'd hip.uj.v.m.v* THE FIT ATHL 215 Palmetto Park I For details call juhr Ufjk ~ 'k II I New Clea ^ L\ I selling 01 gs f 1 | this joint. given up on the idea, then this came up. I talked to Dan about it. He was the most responsible person I knew that also wasn't too happy with his situation.' "It was an opportunity that came along," Dan said. "A record store had been here and the owner wanted out of the business. We only had about a week to think about it." The two guys spent the next week thinking over the decision and getting their money together. Then, they made their offer to the owner, a guy they simply refer to as Fred. Not long after, the store, wiiiiii allocs in yuiiK, uuuciground and vinyl (but "has something for everyone"), opened its door. Although Fred has not owned the place for almost three years, Dan and Chris keep a reminder of the former owner on the mantle in the center of the store ? Camera #1. Fred, who is legally blind, kept the the small insta-matic camera taped to one of the store's walls with a small sign that read KH ETIC CLUB RIvH I Avintftnn 1356-8900 V "* /\ j| ~ r Days is selling records without it. Ain't no workin' for the man at Tney are The Man. "Camera #1." He believed the faux-security camera would deter shoplifters. Shoplifting, even without Camera #1 and other sophisticated surveillance equipment, has never been a problem for New Clear Days though. "We have our preventative techniques," Chris said. "We're not going to let anything just sneak out of here. We have a nign-tecn metal pipe ana a nigntech can of mace to keep that from happening." Other "objects d'art" have won places on the mantle beside Fred's camera. There is a plastic Godzilla, assorted toys from Burger King's Toy Story promotion, autographed pictures of Jimmy Carter and Weird Al, and the store's namesake Vapors' album. "The Vapors are best known for 'Turning Japanese,' but it is actually a classic album," Dan coiil nnintino nvff th*? tr? iJUAVft, pviliuil^ V* ? VI MIV VVU11VV1 W the album. "It is truly a gem of New IWHALEY Your Soluti To Better L . npiu ^ I Now Pre II "111 n jl^?j j . ^?. v. * ' PjT l^:i j^K9H^H^BySyw^A ?' ?g: > ill ; %MBM*R cc III i | ^Mi I. 9wSsBsS^^M ^ |l "| I M| M ::* lu 9 I g{jJ|9 z B..1 J ; |f ''': " 9 ? H If I 1 V Dan Cook and Chris Bickel are the proprietors of Columbia's New Clear Days, "the cheapest in town." ' y asyr |Mi i i 1 yfMAUKv %P I wi I IMIMI /IffimX ion i^MlLL iving V Where home Isn't far away Right op the edge of campus, Wiialey's Mill offers: Free Parking - riBAioie Leaws k Furnished 1-4 Bedroom Apartments V: Individual & Full Unit Leases Swimming Pool Laundry Facilities Frequent Shuttle Stops Leasing for Summer and Fall '96