People queue to enter The Rolling Stones new flagship store in London on September 9, 2020, ahead of it's first day of opening. / AFP / Tolga Akmen
LONDON - The Rolling Stones opened their first dedicated store in London's Carnaby Street, despite the coronavirus pandemic having drastically reduced footfall and the number of tourists visiting the city.
RS No. 9 Carnaby will sell clothes, merchandise and music and feature a video wall with a film of the band, a soundwave installation to represent part of the 1960s track "Paint It Black" and a super-sized version of the band's lips and tongue logo.
"Why would you open a shop during a pandemic? Well, you know, it's eternal optimism," said singer Mick Jagger.
"You could have put it off, I guess, till next year... but there will be a little bit of pick up, I think. And people will be curious and people are out and about a bit more than they were," the 77-year-old added.
The shop will also sell Rolling Stones face masks.
When asked why they chose to open on Carnaby Street, a road synonymous with the swinging sixties in London, Jagger said it is close to where the band used to work and rehearse.
This week the Stones released a remastered version of their 1973 album "Goats Head Soup", which contains unearthed tracks such as "All The Rage".
In July they released a previously lost track, "Scarlet", recorded at guitarist Ronnie Wood's house in 1974 and featuring Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.
