Clonezone/CZ (Soho) Formerly: American Retro

In November 2012 Clonezone (then listed as Clone Zone) created this flagshop store in the premises previously occupied by American Retro, just a stone's throw from Clonezone's previous Soho store at 64 Old Compton St, which closed in January 2013. A relative veteran of the area's gay scene, Clonezone specialises in all gay-friendly consumer goods, including gifts, books, clothing/designer sportswear (Andrew Christian, Barcode Berlin, Brutus etc) and other gay-appeal apparel, plus sex toys — from b-Vibe to Oxballs — and fetish gear (Mr S Leather, Boxer, Nasty Pig). In 2010 Clonezone changed the sign outside its stores to CZ, possibly to distance itself from the 1970s/80s idea of a clone, though one could argue that bears are the new clones. Other CZ locations include former gay ghetto Earl's Court — where it all started (following its 1982 residency in Leicester Square club Subway) and which created a fetish-specialist basement in November 2014 (CZ Dark) — and up north in Birmingham and Manchester. Clone Zone became Clonezone in 2015.