Sad day in Canada

[casterway]

He said it, he did it. Yes, it's true, Canada has lost it's greatest record store. The flagship Toronto store of Sam the Record man closed for the final time yesterday. The Vancouver one closed about 5 years ago, and I still miss it. Their 14' diameter spinning neon records on the store front have been granted heritage landmark status, and can't be removed by new occupants of the building.



"Music fans pack flagship Sam's for one last shop


Shoppers flocked into Sam the Record Man on Yonge Street Saturday, hoping to strike music gold one more time before the store closed its doors.

The company's flagship location, a downtown fixture since it opened in 1961, locked up for the last time at 7 p.m.

Sam's was buzzing as music boomed and people searched for last-minute steals, but some couldn't help but hear an ominous whisper of inevitability.

"I've never been able to find the music that I look for, that I like, any place else but Sam's," one woman said.

"Now I'm real sad because I don't know where I'm going to go to buy it."

John Fillion managed the downtown store for 32 years. He said closing up shop is hard because Sam's offered patrons much more than material goods.

"We're not here just selling shoes...we're not just here selling fashion -- we're here selling pop culture," Fillion said.

"People have listened to music just like they've read books, and they've based their real life philosophy and been influenced by the arts."

One customer agreed, saying Sam's was a music lover's oasis in a desert of generic music outlets.

"This store is not a store, it's beyond that, it's not like the big chains, for a music fan, it's the Mecca."

Sam's fans can take comfort in one thing- even though the business is closing, the neon records that grace the front of the building are going to stay.

Earlier this month, city council designated the Sam's signs and façade as a part of Toronto's heritage.

Future owners will have to sign on for the prime downtown spot - with the icons on location.

Council said enthusiastic public campaigns to save the landmark, including an online petition, played a huge role in city hall's decision.

The company's 81-year-old founder, Sam Sniderman, began selling records in 1937.

In recent years, the company has had to deal with increased competition from big chains such as HMV, and has lost revenue since Internet downloading began cutting into its business."

[greggorypeccary]

Bummer, when I was a kid growing up in Buffalo, I'd go there whenever I visited TO.

[Seanycaster]

That is sad to hear. It was a real landmark in Yonge Street and I liked to go in there when I was a fairly regular visitor to Toronto. Sadly it seems to be the fate of more independent music retailers as it happened this week here in the UK when Fopp record stores had to close up business.

[teleman65]

I bought my first albums at Sam's on Yonge St.
I remember lining up for Boxing Day sales hoping to get in before the best deals were gone and before suffering frostbite.
It was obvious it wouldn't last years ago but for people of my age group it was an icon.

[GoldieLocks]

I remember shopping there 25 years ago. It was a great experience. Very Sad to see it go.

I always wanted to open my own music store, but after working in 3 other ones over the years I realized there is almost no profit. You'd have to sell alot of albums at roughly $20 to cover your overhead. Anytime you sell a C.D. at $10 you make about $2.00 profit. If you sell 200 C.D.'s thats still not enough money to pay your employees & expenses.
I'm now starting to shop online. These stores really should of been looking to the future for survival. Asleep at the wheel I think..."sniff"

[casterway]

Sam used to have the delivery truck stop by at his store before going to his competition down the street, just the way the back alley worked. He would get the latest hot releases in, and invite the delivery man indoors for a sandwich, or a hot drink if it was cold out. The staff would then rush the same hot, new releases out to the store shelf to have them for the customers before the competing store. "I wasn't doing anything illegal, or unethical, just being nice to the driver..." Sam said, tongue planted firmly in his cheek...

Here's my artistic rendition of the now closed Vancouver store. I still get knots in my stomach whenever I go by it.