NYC's Bleecker Bob's & Southpaw are closing down*

Yes, they are. They are insanely overpriced anyway.

 

In all the years I have been record or CD shopping in NYC, I only bought 2 items from them. I don't even stop by there anymore when I go to the Village to browse.

 

Yes, they're closing.

 

Newman and Kramer (in 'Seinfeld') didn't have a very good experience when they went to sell some albums to Bob (played by Tobin Bell IIRC). Hilarious that the writers of that show would include that used record store scene to highlight the foibles of the eccentric owner!

 

If anyone's interested, they have a short documentary on the store on their blog.

From what I saw, the future of the store was up in the air. They showed Bob himself and unfortunately he suffered a brain aneurysm back in 2001 and is in a nursing home. According to the documentary, it didn't look like the store was doing too well.

Very sad, as I've been there before and always enjoyed the place. They used have a lot of records that were hard to find.

 

Thanks for sharing, it has changed my mind about the place!

JG

 

It's sad to see any record store close and there are many record stores with wacky owners/employees. There was an article in the NY Times this week about BB closing.

 

That documentary is very well done and moving.
Prices still too high, though.

 

when I was a frequent shopper in the Village...BB was always the most expensive with the sheetziest employees as well...I'm surprised they are still open...

 

I remember one time I overheard someone ask, how much is that Clash single up there? Bob's reply was something like, well it's $20 for me to get on the ladder plus the cost of the single. I was totally shocked.

 

Was told to check this place out when I was in NY. Like others have said massively marked up prices.

 

It's not like they were getting rich selling stuff with high prices. God only knows what the rent was...

 

Just watched the documentary. Pretty sad, but a sign of the times. Are they going out of business or just moving?

 

because they weren't selling! had they had decent prices who knows...

i stopped i think twice.... i would laugh at the crazy prices and shake my head...

 

It's a dump.

 

I've been there many times, but I don't believe I've ever bought anything. The displays make great eye-candy, but I rarely had any trouble finding better deals on eBay, or even across the street at that other record shop on that block.

 

Oh, so Bleecker Bob's IS the place that we've had a few other threads on about overpriced everything. I was wondering if this was the same place, and now that you mention the other one across the street, yeah, I guess it is.

 

Bleecker Bob's was overpriced when I went to NYU in the late 70s. Having said that, I spent quite a bit of coin at Second Coming Records on Sullivan St. just off W. 4th. Cutout heaven!

 

Bleeker Bob is so notoriously ill-tempered they even did a Seinfeld spoof on him. I hate to see record stores close, but I would never buy from that guy anyway. Overpriced and unfriendly is no way to run a business.

 

I recently moved from NYC but my fiance and I were back in town for New Year's Eve. I was amazed to see that they were still open after all of the talk of them closing last year. It's supposed to become a Starbucks if I remember correctly.

 

I did always like that photo he used to have on his website, posing with the Beatles' Butcher Cover and the Rock and Roll Trio album...it revealed a lot about the kind of guy he was without even setting foot in the store!

 

"It's $20 for me to grind the beans, plus the cost of the latte."

 

Does anyone actually care that another record store is closing? I understand people not wanting to shop there (too high...too rude...bad lighting...junky displays...weird hours...bad location...etc.) but come on, will another Starbucks make it better for us record buyers and collectors?

Don't shop there. That's fine. But why celebrate the closing of a record store?

 

When I worked in the Village in the mid 80s, I stopped in a few times, but never bought anything.

There were a few other stores in the Village then that sold good records at reasonable prices. There was one on 2nd Avenue that sold new records (got the Cramps there, and the Bangles EP, plus others). There was one on 8th Street I think, that you had to walk up a flight of stairs to get to. Plus there was Tower Records on Broadway and 4th. I took many happy lunch breaks in those stores.

 

Probably the only record store in the Village where I never bought anything, though I did used to stop in from time to time when I lived in the Village. As others have said, the prices were crazy, the selection not great, and the staff not very helpful. Sill it's sad to see an institution go, especially when it's another record store.