At 6:00 P.M., 20 years ago today, NYCD closed its doors for the last time.
There are days when I miss it tremendously. And then there are days when I realize what a horrible person I became towards the end, and I miss it less. Well, let's just say, I miss the good ol' days and not the bad ol' days of losing money hand over fist, while customers, both regulars and irregulars, just stopped coming by. Our last day was less of a celebration and more like a wake.
It's not the merriest of Christmas messages, but it's an anniversary nonetheless.
About three minutes before we locked up and went off to our families for Christmas Eve, we put "So Long My Love" by Frank Sinatra on the stereo and shut out all of the lights.
It was a good run.
12 comments:
It was a good run. And it was a good store. A very good one.
Sorry that Christmas Eve has this bittersweet edge for you.
(But can you imagine what rents are like on that stretch of Amsterdam Ave now?)
A great place, Sal.
Raise a glass to the hard working people, raise a glass…
I only got there once on an a rare trip to the city, but it was highly recommended and more than lived up to the promises....including "surly" New York folks working there. Honored to have had the chance.
I wish I could have seen it in its heyday!
I was there for the farewell party. I miss the store
Nothing felt as good as buying music in a record store and the person working there expressing approval of your choices. Merry Christmas Eve!
Your poignant tale recalled memories of the indie music shops I used to frequent, all gone now. Smashing Sinatra song, though. Cheers!
Great closing song. I still miss the store and the staff and the feeling it was my very own High Fidelity. Not sure who was John Cusack and who was Jack Black (maybe everyone at one time or another), but it was great.
And I still love the name NYCD. Brilliant and perfect for its heyday.
The original name of the store Hear Here! NYCD was a close second. After some time, a store in Boston (I think) called Hear Here asked that we change it, since they had it longer. So we held a contest. Name our store. Winner gets a $50 gift card. Almost every suggestion was horrible. A few of the worst:
Lobster Disque
The Silver Janitor
CD Or Not CD
We finally just went with NYCD and kept the $50.
Aside from all the good music and interesting discussions and points of view, I got the best Xmas present from NYCD a real friend and a drummer to boot. Gone but certainly not forgotten
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