Ring a Bell for Sam

Sam the Record Man, once one of Canada’s most powerful music retailers, is slated to close. It was probably the first big record store I ever went to, but to be honest, the last time I was there was maybe five years ago.

It had a great big selection, but that’s no longer the same as a great selection. The reality is that it was trying to be everything to everybody. From a simple real estate perspective, that’s just not viable anymore.

Also, the store smelled like feet.

But still, it will be missed.

And I love this story:

The Sniderman family originally operated a shop selling appliances and car radios, but Sam Sniderman decided to break away and get into the record business in 1937 — in order to impress a girl who was interested in music, Bobby Sniderman said.

That’s a nice microscopic snapshot of the entire music industry in the 20th Century.

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