On May 22nd, City Noise Records relocated from a small storefront on NE Broadway Street to 7033 NE Glisan Street. Within a few weeks, a new beer and wine bar called Replicant will open next door to the punk and metal music shop, allowing customers of both establishments to commingle through a central passageway. These complementary businesses renovated the century-old storefront to create a complete experience for people to become immersed in music while enjoying their favorite drinks.

Lydia Crumbley and Gianpiero Milani co-own Replicant Beer & Wine PDX, creating the new bar as an extension of Milani’s other business, City Noise Records. The 810-square-foot bar’s name originates from the 1982 sci-fi movie Blade Runner. The film featured synthetic humans known as replicants, hunted in a futuristic Los Angeles. Milani is a fan of the film and will use it for some of the bar’s theming as it develops. The bar’s owners did not attempt to create an immersive movie experience but instead captured the Film Noir dim and focused lighting with pops of vibrant light spilling from the glass-fronted refrigerators. The dark-stained wood design supports over 40 guests at bar seating, group tables, and booths.

Replicant offers wine by the glass, draft beers, and non-alcoholic cocktails from the bar. They will sell a wide selection of canned beer and wine by the bottle for people to take home or drink on-premise. They will also have non-alcoholic beer but only in cans to start with. “We’ll gauge how interested people are in that before we get a keg,” remarked Crumbley. Soon after opening, they plan to offer cafe seating out front and will eventually complete a backyard gravel patio area accessed from a back door. That space is not yet clear of construction materials from building renovations underway in the apartments above the record shop. When completed, that outdoor space will extend the bar’s seating.

Customers at Replicant can enjoy a modest food menu to compliment the drink selection that includes pretzels from neighbor business Fressen Artisan Bakery and cheese boards with mostly vegan cheese, olives, and almonds. Crumbley, who eats a plant-based diet, explained that food options at other establishments often had little for her to enjoy. “I want to go to a wine bar and eat cheese, so that was part of the inspiration” for the vegan-friendly menu. The owners created a small commercial kitchen behind the bar and intend to grow the menu over time.

Several of the features planned for Replicant will come later this summer. Renovations took longer than expected due to contractor delays and an unanticipated need to refinish the concrete floors, which pushed the opening back. Consequentially, the team is focused on opening and will lean into all the finishing touches over the coming months. Crumbley and Milani anticipate a soft opening as soon as they receive the county health inspection paperwork, and they will host a grand opening for both businesses in July. By then, they want to have more theming and album listening stations ready. “In the near future, you can buy a record, buy a beer or glass of wine, and play the record. Listen with your headphones, drink your beer, and have a complete experience because drinks and records usually go together,” said Milani.

In addition to promoting music appreciation, Replicant will feature a small gallery space in the back with track lighting to feature the hung artwork. By the grand opening, they’ll display work from Alexander Heir. The Brooklyn, New York, artist has produced many album covers and has a clothing line. The location is open to minors until 8 p.m., allowing visitors of any age to view the gallery in the bar area.

City Noise’s four employees are still unpacking in the new storefront. The Montavilla location is a dramatically larger space than the original spot that opened on NE Broadway in 2021. They are still expanding into the space, growing the selection of vinyl and cassette-based albums, books, magazines, jewelry, and apparel. One record store staff person has bartending experience and will work shifts at both businesses. Although linked through ownership and some employees, they are separate entities and will keep slightly different hours. Crews working on the renovation found an old barn door buried in the wall and repurposed it to close off access between the two storefronts when one is closed. However, Milani explained that most of the time, customers will feel that it is just one big connected space with the wide door fully open.

Soon, Replicant will serve guests from 3 to 10 p.m. every day except Mondays. City Noise Records is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and Noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. People should watch the Replicant Beer & Wine PDX’s Instagram page for updates about the soft opening date and other announcements.

---

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account or you can pay directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.