Avatar Central returning to Aqua

Avatar Central FAQ

Q. What is ‘Avatar Central’?
A. It’s a realistic department store. In the early days of SL, there was a single Avatar Central in downtown Natoma (which was a popular shopping district in those days). As the world grew, a second one was added in Aqua when that sim was added to the grid. They were deemed unnecessary, and demolished, after the shopping center in Luna opened.

Q. Is this a Linden build like the first two Avatar Centrals?
A. No, LL is in no way involved in this project. They kindly allowed my use of the original prims, and the name.

Q. Where did you get it from?
A. Many prims in the Natoma build didn’t have permissions set to ‘no copy.’ So I took copies of the building components, display stands, staircase, sign, etc. I also took enough screenshots of the place to know how it should look, inside and out.
Nothing was directly provided to me by the Lindens.

Q. Is this really the original Avatar Central?
A. I’m reconstructing it from copies of Eric Linden’s original prims. Therefore, the ‘creator’ of this build will still be Eric Linden, with myself as ‘owner.’ My re-design follows the Natoma original. Slight modifications are being made to fit the build to the lot. I’m trying to reduce the prim count without altering the integrity of the original design. Overall, it is very obviously ‘the real Avatar Central.’

Q. Why are you doing this? Why now?
A. In hope of filling what I perceive to be a void. Since the original Avatar Centrals were demolished, there’s been no single store which has truly taken their place as a one-stop for whatever you need, one that looks and feels like a real store. This has been a dream of mine ever since it was announced that the stores would be removed. That’s why I copied as much of the original as I could.
Now: because I finally have the perfect piece of land. And, because I’ve put it off for far too long.

Q. Exactly where is it?
A. Exactly in the Aqua Shopping District (Aqua 140, 220). It's just across the street from Chip’s store. And, of course, it's listed in Places (under the title 'Avatar Central - Aqua').

Q. Is the store part of Chip Midnight's revitalization of Aqua?
A. The store isn't an official part of that, but Chip kindly gave me copies of the landscape textures. So, I was able to fully blend it into the beautiful new theme.

Q. Is this the exact same spot where it was before in Aqua?
A. No, but it’s reasonably close; most definitely within spitting distance if you’re a camel, or a pitcher in the major leagues.

Q. is it open?
A. The store is open for business. Some vendors are already set up, with more being added on a regular basis.

Q. How long will it be there? Is this just another temporary nostalgia build?
A. It will be there for as long as I’m a member of SL. And I’m a Lifetime Member.

Q. How will you avoid the lag that overwhelmed the Linden builds?
A. It remains to be seen if I can. Aqua is not one of the original sims, but it’s old enough to be pretty heavily lagged even without this addition. Ultimately, lag isn’t something I can fix. But I have a lot of experience with low-prim building methods, and I’ll do everything possible to make shopping there pleasant.
With the first few vendors set up, fps is still quilte good. We'll see what happens...

Q. Do you have more Linden rebuilds coming, or is this a one-off?
A. For better or worse, there are no more.

Q. Will space for vendors really be free?
A. Yes. The terms of the lease are: it's free, and it's yours forever.

Q. What's the catch?
A. Since this isn't a Linden build, the number of prims which each seller can use for display purposes will have to be strictly limited. The initial limit is 20 per vendor; and it will be a bit more than that when I have time to take stock and do some math.

Q. What’s in it for you?
A. My monetary compensation, if there is any, will come in the form of Dwell, and/or Ratings, and/or Donations. Honestly, I’m doing this for the personal satisfaction of just doing it. The outcome isn’t anything I can control, and my happiness doesn’t depend on it. My payoff will be seeing the store standing in Aqua. That’s all I really want.

Q. How many vendors will you have?
A. As many as prim and space limitations will permit. At least 15 in the near future, and at least 18-20 down the road.

Q. Will items be on display like it used to be, or will there be vending machines?
A. No vending machines allowed, except for dire necessity. As it always was, Avatar Central will look like a real store. Space permitting, the actual items will be displayed. Vending boxes may be used as needed for clothing, and for items too large or prim-heavy to be on display.

Q. How will vendors be selected? Will preference be given to vendors who were in one of the original stores? How do I become a vendor?
A. I'm eager to have former Avatar Central vendors in the new store, so they will get preference. Any of them who want space in the new store simply need to ask. They will be allotted space on a first-come, first-served basis. If there’s room for additional vendors, I will invite some of my own choosing. There will be no lottery or random selection or waiting list.

Q. You’re going to take the best vending spot for yourself, right?
A. No. I wasn’t a vendor in the original stores, and I won’t be in this one either. I’m building the store for the community, not for myself, and not for profit. I am using some of my own sculptures for decoration. And some of my items which I don't currently sell will be given away as freebies.

Q. Is this a Group project?
A. No, though I don’t rule that out for the future if managing the place by myself becomes a burden.

Q. Will there be a Grand Opening event? When?
A. Yes, of course!! It will be a masquerade, because I like to play dress up. And it will be held on the roof in order to have a ‘dance floor.’ It will be announced well in advance. Watch this thread for further updates.

Q. Is this plan as cunning as it sounds?
A. Yes it is. In fact it’s so cunning that you could put teeth on it and call it a comb.

Q. How can I get more info or contact you?
A. Post your questions, comments, etc., right here in this thread. Because of FirstLife obligations, I’m sometimes unable to be inworld for fairly long stretches. So, please realize that IMs may not get quick replies. If you feel private communication is necessary, I can be reached by email at [email]BA_York@msn.com[/email].

Ha I remember AV central when it was in Nat, next to the welcome area. I sold my first lightsabers there (first ever in SL) Jan 2003! Reserve a spot for me!

I also sold my first items there (mostly the Moogle and Spooky). I remember trying to find the right spots, so as not to be blocking another player's items. If you can, please reserve a spot for me as well.

Oh my god I think I'm gonna cry
I havent even read your entire post, I need to go in world and see it!

Wonderful! I have very fond memories of Avatar Central.

Very cool Blackadder I just bought all of Briana's old land in Aqua (about half the sim) and am planning to bring many of the old Aqua stores back to roost but without a mall this time around. I'll be landscaping the sim so that it's a nice place to stroll and shop at many unique stores... hopefully without the crushing lag that plagued the sim during its mall heyday. Let's bring Aqua back to its former glory! Let me know if I can be of assistance.

Done!

Welcome back, Nex.

The Natoma AvC was the first SL store I ever shopped in. Just looking at that reassembled back wall brings back a flood of warm memories.

Bravo Chip, and thank you. We're on the same wavelength regarding Aqua. I'd very much like to fit Avatar Central into your new landscaping theme for the shopping district. I really don't want it to visually look out of place, or out of scale. Let me know what I can do to blend in.

Bring on the Moogle!

Welcome back Kats.

Woot!

WOW chip plz let me know if i can help

<<< Avatar Central returning to Aqua >>>


Excellent!



BlackAdder Avatar Central was one of the first places I visited on my 1st day in SL!



Welcome back!

Very kind, Eggy. I've just now added a bunch of interior pieces to the temporary build. Hope you get a chance to stop by.

That was one of the first places I visited also, I'd truely like to see some of the old returning. So much has changed, in such a fast paced way, the old feel disappeared fairly quickly and rapidly. It was also a way for us to make our first money to get started out.

So I wish you luck on the project, great idea.

At the moment, doing actual building in Aqua is hampered for me by a texture glitch. One particular Linden texture (the concrete used for the foundation) often renders either white or transparent. You can see this on the 'floor' in the screenshots.

So...I decided to rez the sign and a bunch of interior pieces, to see if I could create the "Avatar Central Experience." I"m leaving all this stuff rezzed for anyone who wants to get a nostalgia rush.

Sorry about the low-res; my system is old and I usually run SL at 800x600 to squeeze out slightly better performance.

And thanks to all for your warm response to my little project.

My very first Mentor Event was a Shopping Teleport Tour and included both Avatar Central locations. The last stop was in Aqua and I arranged for some of the retailers there to be on hand to answer questions. Fun stuff. Here is the text to the note I prepared for that event, some of the Aqua stores of the day are listed (the landmarks didnt paste, I added the locations we visited).

Wow! Great stuff Loki. I'd almost forgotten that $10 for prim de-rez. We've come a long way.

Awsome BlackAdder, simply fantastic! This gives me great joy inside.

Avatar Central was one of those awsome places I loved in SL, I loved the idea of just "plop down what you want to sell, for free". It was the first place, and one of the only places I've had stuff for sale. I never saw the Natoma one I don't think, but the Aqua one I made occasional visits too and just loved the atmosphere of it. The design of it was fantastic as well, built up as a real shop.

Unfortantly I don't have any pictures that would be of any help. But if there is anything else you may need, don't hesitate to ask!

Its great to see the restoration of historical places like this. Keep up the good work and I look forward to its opening!

Thanks very much Oz. Seems all us oldbies have really fond memories of the original stores.

Wish I had unlimited prims for the vendors as LL did back in the day. That would be beyond cool. Regardless, as much as possible I hope to let the vendors have the run of the place once it's finished.

Damn, I *knew* I shouldn't have sold my Aqua land!

Excellent idea, I can't wait to see Aqua Avatar Central restored to its former glory.

BlackAdder, while I was never at the original Avatar Central, I visited yesterday with Oz Spade and Bel Muse and was thrilled to see what you have going on. I look forward to its full incarnation in the near-future, aka "the present of tomorrow"! While I can't claim any great nostalgia, I have seen a few "ancient pics" of the build, and I'm gonna be thrilled to hang out there. Full circle, yet progress is made. Kewl beans. ^_^

Cool! I used to sell furniture, lighting, and combat stuff there. Can I get some space?

Me too, Beryl. I wish BlackAdder would get it in gear and finish the build.

What?!?

Oh.

Never mind.

Done!

Welcome back Huns.

Thanks TT. Glad you like it.

LOL Love that 'ancient pics' line. A couple of nights ago I commented to Chip that the early days of SL seem so incredibly long ago. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that Beta must have been back in the '80s.

I imagine Bel and Oz talked your ears off with stories of the good old days. "We used to teleport to Natoma a zillion meters through the snow...up hill both ways!"