We were too saddened to learn of the pending closing of Bleecker Bob‘s record shop in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. Apparently, the rent is too damned high, according to blogs and reports from the owners. CapitalNewYork.com recently created a documentary which outlines the story behind Bleecker Bob and its untimely demise. Members of soulhead staff certainly will miss those bin digging pilgrimages to Bobs and how many times we found something we had been looking for for years. For those of us living in modern day NYC, we count this loss amongst many others in recent years. The City is still great but some of those institutions that have made it second to none are vanishing. So, if you have not taken a trip to Bleecker Bob’s, please do so before it is too late.
Here is an overview of the documentary:
Capital is proud to present the documentary film, For the Records, after a brief introduction from the filmmakers:
When Bob Plotnik quit law to open up a record store in Greenwich Village in the ’60s, the only thing he wanted was to get hold of his favorite street doo-wop records ahead of everyone else.
He couldn’t have known that the store would still be there nearly 50 years later—that it would survive the introduction of cassettes, CDs and MP3s, outlast CBGB, even stay open after Bob had a huge stroke and handed the store over to his colleagues to run.
And though “Bleecker Bob” is identified with some of the great names of rock and roll through the decades, and especially downtown movements from the Village’s folk scene through punk, new wave and alternative music, now, time is finally catching up with the oldest record store in the Village.
There are cracks in the black and white linoleum floor. Dust gathers on Bob’s collection of art deco clocks, many of which have stopped. Though the landlord of their building on West Third Street has been good to Bob over the years, he’s finally putting the rent up in line with prices in the area. Bleecker Bob’s is getting priced out.
