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West Village record store Rebel Rebel closing at the end of June

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Other Music is not the only long-running that is closing at the end of the month. Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York reports that West Village shop Rebel Rebel, which has been at 319 Bleecker Street for 28 years, will shutter as well, with rent spikes being the cause.

There was a time when Rebel Rebel was the place to go for UK imports. If they reviewed it in the NME, Rebel Rebel had it, with owner David Shebiro manning the counter most days, talking Echo & the Bunnymen and Echobelly with regular customers and music fans while he fielded calls, unpacked new shipments, and priced new items.  I am constantly amazed at how many records and CDs they managed to cram in the store, which didn’t leave all that much room for customers. That’s part of Rebel Rebel’s charm.

That part of Bleecker St used to be lined with record stores. Record Runner, just off Bleecker and probably the most Madonna-centric record store in the world, is still in business, but there’s not much else. Rebel Rebel, you will be missed. Sigh.

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