Another Record Store Bites the Dust...

This will probably be totally meaningless to everyone except me, but what the hell....

A college buddy sent me news yesterday that Majors Records in Staten Island, NY, which was a favorite music-shopping stomping ground when I went to college there in the late 80s, is closing up shop after 43 years (!!) in business. Respect!! The article sez that they were the last surviving record store on the Island, which makes me sad, cuz during my college days there were at least half a dozen music shops out that way.



http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2014/05/high_rent_forcing_majors_recor.html#incart_river

I frequented this store quite often - they were in a strip mall with a Pathmark supermarket, so if I was going to Pathmark to pick up brew or munchies I'd usually stop at Majors while I was there to root thru the stacks. I can remember getting there early one morning and waiting around for them to open up so I could get a first-day-of-release copy of Judas Priest's Painkiller. Man, I was dorky. Haha

To the old timey folks on this forum who are in on the joke, Majors Records might also be considered significant because they were the only record store tr00 enough to carry the ARKAYNE STATEN ISLAND STEELE VINYL OF KILLEN EHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!



Yes, Majors actually sold the LP by local metal legends Killen! It was the only store I ever saw that album in. Knowing what I know now, I wish I'd bought a copy (or twelve).

I haven't been back to Staten Island in more than a decade but it still bites when you hear about stuff like this. R.I.P.

Never been there, but respect, indeed.
Always sad when a physical record store goes out of business.

Mine here in my town is still doing fine, though:
Disc Go Round

Quote :

Pavia said he doesn't have an exact day for shutting his doors, and is hoping to find a space in a nearby location with a monthly rent he can afford.

"We want to find a storefront as close as possible to where we are right now. My regular customers don't want to see us go. We have a long list of people who want to know where we are going to," he added.

While Pavia recognizes that people's means for obtaining music and movies has changed -- and admits that his average sale is down by 40 percent -- he said there's a big resurgence in record buying and his shop has become the "go to" place for hard-to-find items.

Well, at least he's trying to find a way to remain open. Kudos for that and not just taking his ball and going home. Still sad to see this happen.

It says they're relocating, rather than closing down completely.

^ Yeah, I wish 'em luck in finding a new space, but it doesn't sound like the odds are in his favor. New York rents are crazy. That's why I didn't stay there after I got out of college.

Fat Freddy wrote:

^ Yeah, I wish 'em luck in finding a new space, but it doesn't sound like the odds are in his favor. New York rents are crazy. That's why I didn't stay there after I got out of college.

It's just delaying the inevitable unfortunately. Those places can't last forever, cheap rent or not.

My local record store in Cincinnati is down to one tiny location.  They used to have four large stores in two states and that was whittled down to one large store by about the year 2000.  They then began moving constantly to smaller places chasing cheaper rent and now they are in a little storefront.  I am sure they will be gone in a year or two. It's sad. The owner appreciated Heavy Metal and had an amazing selection of imports and bootlegs.  I knew it was a good store when I walked in and saw a picture of him with Iron Maiden in the store circa 1987.
Here in Pittsburgh, there are a few record stores, but I only really go to Jerry's Records and his business is booming.

All the stores that turned me into the metal head that I am today have been gone since the mid nineties.   
There is still a nice small indie shop when I go to the big city but it is stuck in the back of a comic shop. Mostly punk stuff and some odds and ends of the metal variety.

They're dropping like flies.

Too bad.

back in the days there was a store here called world records. Owned and operated by a nice american dude.

this store was a metalhead's paradise.

It went out of business over a decade ago. Ever since I can barely buy any metal cds here.

There is also hope. A new record store just opened in my town:
I made a video showing it today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVS_vexNse8

I cannot access the link krokus.

Gilbert wrote:

I cannot access the link krokus.

Thats strange Gilbert, i just pressed it and the link is working. Try it again later, it must work. Thanks for trying to watch it.

The YouTube link works for me... I can't understand a word of Spanish, but that looks like my kinda store, Krokus!   

P.S. I think someone has already mentioned this in reply to one of your other videos, but I swear you really do look like Kai Hansen.

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Fat Freddy wrote:

The YouTube link works for me... I can't understand a word of Spanish, but that looks like my kinda store, Krokus!   

P.S. I think someone has already mentioned this in reply to one of your other videos, but I swear you really do look like Kai Hansen.

Nooo, nobody ever told me i look like KAI HANSEN hahhaa, i am not really happy with that. He is 20 years older then me   . I look like shit on this video because last night i had to much to drink, and that is no excuse, its the truth   

Quote :

As long as people can still shop online, then it's not necessarily the end of the world.

Eh, there is something about browsing a large number of CDs and finding that one you were looking for or that one that you never knew you wanted that online buying doesn't even come close to capturing. If I had the money I would visit every record store and used CD place still standing and never buy online again (except for my top bands). I'll buy online and I will download, but it will never be as exciting or satisfying again.

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Painkiller wrote:

krokus wrote:

Nooo, nobody ever told me i look like KAI HANSEN hahhaa, i am not really happy with that. He is 20 years older then me   . I look like shit on this video because last night i had to much to drink, and that is no excuse, its the truth   

One time when I was at my local supermarket, I saw a blond-haired guy wearing a black jacket (not your typical biker leather, however). At first glance, I thought that was Michael Kiske -- he even had the slight long hair for the look! I was so tempted to stop bagging my groceries and go sing "Eagle Fly Free" near him.

What stopped you ?   . Maybe it was him, you never know.

Where I live all the malls near me ( and there are plenty) all the music stores closed, and only one place that still sell music, is Sound Exchange, but they also expanded to selling music equipment and seem to be thriving

Yeah, there are MANY malls around these parts as well, all with no music stores. The last two was Virgin Megastore (the best and largest heavy music selection) in Grapevine Mills and lastly Sam Goody (not the largest but very decent heavy music selection) at North Richland Hills. Both have since closed down and replaced by trendy clothes shops (like malls don't have enough of those   ). In the end of my collecting days I relied on used CD places and (with the exception of The CD Source in Plano-which took several hours to search) most of the time it was a crap shoot.

I have a few to shop in around here. I have a couple CD Warehouses (which are always hit or miss), the Exchange (which always seems to have a good metal selection) and the 2 malls I frequent the most in the area still have their FYE stores.

I'm just waiting for the owner of the last little shop in my neighborhood to kick the bucket and that will be the end. If I had to guess, he's probably only in his early 60's, but he hasn't been in the best of health. No way anyone is taking over his little operation. When he goes, so does The Record Exchange.

krokus wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

I cannot access the link krokus.

Thats strange Gilbert, i just pressed it and the link is working. Try it again later, it must work. Thanks for trying to watch it.

I saw the video. Great one. The shop seems very nice.

next time I am in spain I will visit it. Does it have a good metal section?