Sam the Record Man to Close

Being a record collector sure does suck these days. With the recorded music industry on it's death bed and the compact disc all but buried, Sam the Record Man, the one-time cross-Canada music store chain, will close its iconic
downtown Toronto flagship location this month. Jason and Bobby Sniderman, sons of founder Sam Sniderman, announced that the venerable Yonge Street location will close its doors for good on June 30.

The pangs of sadness I am feeling are real. Don't laugh, Sam the Record Man was the store I HAD to visit every time I made a trip to the Big Smoke. I could always count on finding that obscure Japanese import or Clash single on vinyl in the overcrowded bins of that store. You had to search but you would always be rewarded. That was its appeal. I could spend hours in that place (and many times I did.) In some ways it felt like a home away from home to me. Discovering new music that would keep my elitist tendencies alive for at least a few days.

I guess I should have seen the writing on the wall. The stores in London closed over two years ago; Sarnia and Belleville apparently the only ones left now. I will miss you Sam the Record Man, with your yellow hand written price tags, delete bins and faded signatures on your walls. Luckily I've got a few souvenirs on my cd shelves to remind me of you. Now if only I could find a way to put the neon SAM sign in my music room. Perhaps then, I wouldn't be so sad.


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