Sam The Record Man Closing Toronto Superstore - Printable Version
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Sam The Record Man Closing Toronto Superstore - hotmetal401 - 06-01-2007
It'll be the end of the era, for real this time.
I'm there are a lot of people currently or formerly from the Toronto area who bought some of the first records at Sam's. Mine was in 1989 -- it was a copy of the Elvis 1968 Comeback special. I was a big fan of the King then (still am really).
There are also plenty of Save the Sign campaigns on Facebook already.
Any memories of the grand old place?
Cheers,
Pat
- Hard Canadian - 06-01-2007
we had two here in Hamilton. One at Limeridge mall that closed down years ago and the other was a 'superstore' located on James street downtown that also closed a few years back. I didn't even know the big Toronto store was still operating.
- cochise - 06-01-2007
Going downtown T.O. without a stop at Sam's just won't be the same.......
- fingernailsonhull - 06-01-2007
That's a shame (for real, not with the Seinfeld sarcasm).
- opiated - 06-01-2007
maybe they shouldn't have been charging so much for cd's
- chris - 06-01-2007
opiated Wrote:maybe they shouldn't have been charging so much for cd'sI hope you are referring to record labels as the "they" who shouldn't charge so much for CDs.
- Lizard King - 06-01-2007
Its no mystery, music stores are struggling big time. I was at my local HMV a few weeks ago and now they are selling video games of all things. You'd have a harder time finding an album there than you would a dvd or video game, I cant tell you how many times in the last 6 months that Ive gone into that store and not been able to find the cd I wanted, all they seem to have are the radio friendly pieces of shit bands and novelty acts that dominate the charts and radio, I couldnt even find a Watchmen cd last time I went, what a joke, the store guy is like we dont sell there music no one buys it, I havent gone back since. I pretty much buy most of my music via the web or in a big box store..ie: best buy nowadays.
So it really comes as no surprise that Sam's is finished, the times they are a changin!
- skippy the wonder dog - 06-01-2007
If you want to get anything out of the mainstream, you pretty much have to buy it online now.
Which is too bad, if you liked browsing in record stores. People did that, once.
- NegPhil - 06-01-2007
Sam The Record Man, what's next? Milk in a bag. Aero bars. 967-1111 phone Pizza Pizza today. Oh well, time marches on.
- j-monster - 06-01-2007
skippy the wonder dog Wrote:If you want to get anything out of the mainstream, you pretty much have to buy it online now.
Which is too bad, if you liked browsing in record stores. People did that, once.
Ah, memories of a foregone era...
- opiated - 06-02-2007
chris Wrote:opiated Wrote:maybe they shouldn't have been charging so much for cd'sI hope you are referring to record labels as the "they" who shouldn't charge so much for CDs.
if the Sam out there was like the last one out west, their cd's were a good 4-6 bucks more than any other stores..
- Hard Canadian - 06-02-2007
those in the toronto area, no big deal about sams. you still have sonic boom, greatest and biggest used/new place around. they pretty much have anything and everything and their hours of operation are amazing. open 365 days a year from 10am-12am i beleive.
- hotmetal401 - 06-02-2007
There's plenty of record stores in Toronto -- in high school, we used to come down monthly to get new vinyls at Rotate This (once we realized that nothing on Queen Street is open before noon on Saturdays)
But it's the continuation of the end of an era. So many retailers, particularly Canadian ones have struggled through years of poor economic conditions and hare-brained schemes. Finally when our economy turns around, and there's money to be made, the damage is long done.
The music industry is a whole other story, but Sam's decline is just as indicitive of the fall of other Canadian retail giants.
Personally, I found no one could beat the sales at Sam's, especially since the sons took the business over five years ago. As for actual stock, they didn't have the vinyl selection that HMV did, but for a "chain" store, there was some rare, rare albums there that you would be hardpressed to find anywhere else (including the indie stores -- case in point: at one time, they had the entire Old 97s discography in stock, which is even hard to find at places in Dallas, there the 97s are from).
I'll be there on the 30th, making one last purchase, that's for sure.
Cheers,
Pat
- Hard Canadian - 06-03-2007
hotmetal401 Wrote:I'll be there on the 30th, making one last purchase, that's for sure.
Cheers,
Pat
what do you plan on picking up?