Legacy Of The Decade Lives On In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, PA — Bruce Springsteen. The Police. The Ramones. The Pretenders. Bon Jovi. Aerosmith. The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

All of these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers played at the former Decade at the corner of Atwood and Sennott streets in Oakland.

Owner Dom DiSilvio sold the bar in 1995, but its incredible legacy lives on. Dominic Means, DiSilvio's grandson, is selling Decade memorabilia out of a record shop that houses thousands or records that he recently opened in Downtown Pittsburgh.

"Preserving that Decade history and sharing that with people is important," Means told Patch.

Means' record business is located in the basement of his father's Sports World Specialties store on Smithfield Street. In addition to the Decade nod, the shop features more than 3,000 vinyl records -some of which are signed by legendary artists such as Alice Cooper, Pat Benatar and former Foreigner singer Lou Gramm.

"I have a vinyl addiction," Means said.

Although his vinyl business is his main concentration, Means said he wants to keep the Decade's memory alive.

"I think it's extremely important," he said. "The Decade has been closed for over 30 years, but it's still relevant. People still talk about it."

Said Gabby Means, who wrote a book about the Decade: "In addition to selling high quality vinyl, Dominic will be selling Decade posters, t-shirts, and books. Additionally, if you make the trip /p>

to downtown to visit him you can see some true Decade history on display: a Bon Jovi autograph that many of you may recognize!"

After the Decade closed, its incarnations included a deli, lesbian bar, produce store, Cumpie's bar and the Garage Door Saloon. The building has been vacant since 2021