February 1994 – The Restructuring of Marika

Sergei Yakovlev, the first manager of «Marika»:
«The reconstruction of the club required time and serious capital investments. But the result was worth it. The new interior was designed by a professional designer, who created a simple and laconic club, where there was nothing superfluous. The new «Marika» was nicknamed the «white one» - after the colour of the walls.
Besides the interior itself, the club's equipment also changed radically. Now professional sound and light stood here. The sound was ordered specially, and its installation cost quite a decent sum of money. But in return the owners of the establishment, true music lovers, remained satisfied with the result. Now in their club everything sounded as it should. Considering that on average «Marika» spent two hundred dollars a week on buying fresh music, this was important. Only the select had access to the club's astonishing collection. The DJs were selected extremely fastidiously. Only Vlad Kopp and Smile managed to pass the tough casting. They say that many envied them back then.
The new «Marika» was launched as a very serious project. Before the opening the establishment was even consecrated - just in case. Whether it was the patronage of higher powers, or the professionalism of the owners that did the trick. «Marika», as they say, took off. In the mid-90s this was a truly bohemian establishment. Here the capital's «golden youth» gathered, young and successful businessmen and showmen. Vladimir Presnyakov, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Stepan Polyansky, Max Pokrovsky, Kristina Orbakaite, Pavel Vashchekin, Sergei Mazaev - all, all were here. And it was hard to call «Marika» a snobbish place. Here people of one circle relaxed, and to flaunt money or regalia in the establishment was considered shameful. However, the attributes of the beautiful life were not refused here. Once «Marika» even became famous on an international level. In one of the French wine-making journals an article appeared saying that the mysterious Russian «Marika» ranks second in the world in the sale of Paradise cognac. The owner of the trademark, monsieur Hennessy, surprised by such news, even invited the owners of «Marika» to visit him, but they did not go. There simply was no time. They needed to sell cognac to the guests. The visitors were clearly suffering from thirst.
In return, foreign celebrities frequented «Marika». Once David Copperfield himself froze for half an hour in front of the entrance, since the club's doorman flatly refused to recognise a big star in him. The musicians Ottawan and the singer Ardis were luckier - they were «shown a good time» here by all the laws of Russian hospitality.
The most astonishing thing is that «Marika» acquired its cult status without the use of any PR technologies whatsoever. Simply put, the club had no advertising. There were, true, live broadcasts from «Marika» on «Silver Rain», but that is a special case. Simply put, the young radio station asked the establishment's owners for the right of access to their record library. So almost everything that you listened to on the airwaves of «Silver Rain» in fact belonged to «Marika». An astonishing case in the modern radio business».