Rocks in Your Head SoHo is Dead

The last vestige of 1970s SoHo is about to disappear: Rocks in Your Head, the record store on Prince Street, is closing after twenty-eight years of business. Manhattan's loss is Brooklyn's gain: the store is moving to North 5th and Roebling Street in Williamsburg. The Villager reports:

“I’ve been losing money for the last few years, and the rents being what they are, business hasn’t been good,” Barouch said on Monday. “The name of retail is location, location, and when the location’s not any good, that’s why we’re moving.
“I’ve been complaining about Soho for 20 years,” he said. “This used to be an interesting neighborhood. When I first opened, I could stand on the street and at least half the people walking by were potential customers and interested in music. Now, it’s much less. Hopefully, Williamsburg’s a cooler neighborhood.”

The store’s rent is currently $5,000 a month, up from $300 a month in 1978.

A few years back we got rid of all of our Morrissey and Smiths CDs-- Rocks in Your Head bought them for $3/each. That was like $200! Come to think of it, that was right around the time we opened Gothamist-- some of that money probably paid for hosting costs of the site. So without Rocks in Your Head, you probably wouldn't be reading this right now. Weird!

We'll probably need to raise some money again soon, so does anyone have a suggestion for a new used record place below Houston Street?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jake Dobkin in Arts and Events on April 29, 2006 11:46 AM

Comments [rss]

Jimmy Legs

record stores in williamsburg are already hitting the saturation point, and like mentioned above, the people who made soho lame are already massing on the sidewalks of bedford with their tiny fancy dogs and fat pockets.

History Repeats Itself

The owner is in for a nasty surprise: Williamsburg will suffer the same fate. It's already halfway there.

BRKLYN

Agreed, Larry is a tool.

gentle

I usually have pretty thick skin.. but the proprietor of this shop was the rudest. I used to go in there to browse and he would watch me like a hawk to the point of discomfort. That I am latino added something to my usually not-paranoid mind. One time I opened a record to look at the liner notes (the record was already opened - unsealed) and he started yelling at me. I calmly turned to him and said, "every single time I've been in this shop you have been rude to me, I am never coming back here again." I never did.. and I'll avoid his Brooklyn location.

mike

Though I've never been to this store, I'm sad to see it go.

Still, my main concern is: why would you sell your Moz and Smiths CDs?!!!

Moz Fan

You got rid of all your Moz and Smith's CDs? Since what I want to type is no doubt illegal, you are without question a fucking moron.

Jackson

Larry, you are so fucking cool. You are so right about people in Brooklyn! I wish I could hang out with you and trust fund friends and afford the rents in your overpriced areas of Manhattan. Hey, you going to the Village this weekend? Sweet! Don't forget your trucker cap, jackass.

-Jackson-

Brooklyn, where rents are still somewhat reasonably, unlike "Larry"

Larry

BKLYN can have that dingy hellhole.

Before the internets, that shop had some value because you could get import CDs there. Now it's useless. And filthy. And extremely user unfriendly. Don't blame the neighborhood on its failure. And are BKLYNites really so backward that they need a shop that outlived its usefulness at least 10 years ago? Probably.

moth

that's really a shame -- this was by far the best place to pick up a CD in soho. and, i'd just recently found out, they had a really good selection of DVDs for rent, and a lax policy on returns.

jayKayEss

You unloaded all your Morrissey and Smiths CDs?!?! You are SO not my Friendster anymore!

bthirsch

Eh, RIYH would have done fine if it was in B-burg or St. Marks st. It's a great record store, I think the owner is correct that the neighborhood changes have led to less business. I don't see the other indie record stores in NYC having too many problems. Also, with a 5K rent, how the hell could they make money regardless of the neighborhood?

ed_Extinct

I wouldn't blame the neighborhood change for all of the losses. Perhaps the music industry chagnging to digital files such as streaming media and mp3's have also had a huge impact on CD sales across the board.