On Monday, Brooklyn’s newest record store opened its doors at 64 North 9th Street. It’s the New York home of famed British store/label Rough Trade and it seems like it will be a nice addition to the neighborhood.
The most striking thing about the store is the size. This is a big record shop. It has an open layout that incorporates old shipping containers and offers quite the stock of vinyl records and CDs, plus some other items like books and audio equipment. The shelves were not yet fully stocked, but it looks like they will skew towards new releases, both in terms of the music and the records themselves – I didn’t notice any used ones. It also tends to favor rock music, though there were some sections devoted to hip-hop, electronic, and jazz.
What excites me most about Rough Trade is its potential as a destination beyond just being a retail center. Linking up with Bowery Presents, the store is going to have a lot of events. You can check out the lineup here. Some highlights in this first week include Danny Brown, Television (though that’s sold out), Marissa Nadler, and Phosphorescent. And there are plenty more coming, many of which are free or give entry with a purchase. Opening day brought Sky Ferreira and Charles Bradley. When I arrived around 8:00, there was a line outside for Charles and a long line inside for Sky, who was signing merchandise after laying. It looked like Rough Trade was already off to a great start and I’m sure that will continue. Welcome to North Brooklyn, Rough Trade.