Welcome to our newish weekly column, Staff Picks, in which we ask the staffers at our favorite book, music, and movie stores around to town to share with us what they're reading, listening to, and watching this week. We figure they're good people to ask. Last week we talked to Sarah Gerard at McNally Jackson Bookstore, and today we're checking in with beloved secondhand record store Academy Records. We talked to Mr. Lou, the "overseer of pop" who's been with the store for 12 years, to find out what he's been spinning lately. more ›

This is something you don't read about every day, unless it's in the Onion: a New York record store has managed to keep its doors open! The Daily News reports that Park Slope's only record store will remain open for at least another three years; "The legendary Fifth Avenue Record and Tape Center has found a new home just three doors down from its current spot at 439 Fifth Ave" where the owner will be evicted from by the end of June (despite never being late on his rent). 72-year-old owner Tony Mignone told the paper, "I'll give it another shot. I think it'll be good, because I could fix it up the way I want it... although this is nice over here. But the landlord is jerking me around." Opening 38 years ago and keeping loyal employees and customers since then, it's nice to see this story have a happy ending. One customer said, "They don't have these types of businesses anymore. All of them went out 30, 40 years ago. At least Tony maintains some of the splendor of the old days." Indeed. more ›

On the evening of April 3rd it was announced that Sound Fix, the record shop/cafe fixture on the corner of Bedford Avenue and N 11th Street in Williamsburg, was shut down. Since first mention the Dept. of Health has been blamed with locking the doors, but noise complaints are generally at the root of every establishment's demise. more ›