Rough Trade NYC is moving to 30 Rock
Rough Trade has announced the new location of its NYC record store: 30 Rockefeller Center. The New York Times reports that the new store will be at street level on Avenue of the Americas “between the subway station and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and will open June 1.
The new space, previously a shoe store, will be 2,100 sq ft, about one quarter the size of Rough Trade NYC’s original location in Williamsburg which closed its doors in March. They’re still promising to have 10,000 albums for sale at the store, while online sales will be handled via Rough Trade’s new fulfillment center in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
No longer partnering with Bowery Presents, the Times reports that Rough Trade will still host live music but shows will happen in various spaces in 30 Rock, like The Rainbow Room, the plaza and, in the summer, on the skating rink.
“Following the impact of COVID-19, Rough Trade’s decision to relocate reflects a wider reimagination of cities worldwide”, says Rough Trade Co-Owner, Stephen Godfroy in a statement. “Manhattan has a glorious history of great record stores. Now there’s an exciting present as well. The opportunities afforded by the pandemic in the reconfiguration of central city districts have brought us, counter-intuitively, to the heart of New York, an area barren of record stores for years. But Rough Trade’s instinct has always been to surprise!”
