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Is midtown the new Brooklyn?
Rough Trade NYC, the recently-closed Williamsburg music mecca for records, live events and concerts, announced today that they’d found an unexpected new home: 30 Rock.
The New York Times reports today that beginning June 1 the store will open at 30 Rockefeller Plaza at the corner of 49th St and Sixth Avenue. The new store is just under a quarter of the size of the Brooklyn location, but it’s still set to house 10,000 new vinyl records. It will be located at street level next to the subway station and The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon.
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“Following the impact of COVID-19, Rough Trade’s decision to relocate reflects a wider re-imagination of cities worldwide,” Rough Trade Co-Owner, Stephen Godfroy said in a statement. "Manhattan has a glorious history of great record stores. Now there’s an exciting present as well. The opportunities afforded by the pandemic in the reconfiguration of central city districts have brought us, counter-intuitively, to the heart of New York, an area barren of record stores for years. But Rough Trade’s instinct has always been to surprise!”
In addition to the change in boroughs, the live events being produced by Rough Trade NYC will also be different at the new location. Rather than work with Bowery Presents, the store will now be a part of the programming at Rockefeller Center with gigs held at the nearby plaza, ice skating rink and even the ritzy Rainbow Room. (Quite a change in venue!)