By Kevin Korber of Village Confidential
New York’s record collectors were shocked upon finding out that Bleecker Bob’s, the venerable Village record store that has been a neighborhood fixture for almost 45 years, would be leaving their West 3rd Street location in April. The news broke on several blogs this weekend, along with a false rumor that the space would be taken up by a Starbucks.
Bleecker Bob’s had been at several locations throughout the Village before settling on West 3rd, and the store had gained its fair share of history. Rock legends Jimmy Page and Frank Zappa, both of whom were friends of owner Bob Plotnick, tended the counter at various times, according to legend. The store had also become a destination for punk fans at a time when very few stores carried punk records.
However, as time passed, the store was forced to rent out its back room as a tattoo parlor while letting a pipe dealer set up shop in front of the store. Currently, a new location for the Village record store has not been determined, but EV Grieve speculates an East Village move.
No one knows what will fill in the store front once the famed Village record store picks up and leaves, but one thing is for sure: it probably won’t be a Starbucks. Upon the announcement of the impending move, speculation became rampant that the coffee chain would be opening up another location where Bob’s once stood. Locals were outraged: the owner of nearby Café Reggio told Vanishing New York that “a Starbucks would take 30% of our business. All the NYU kids want their mocha frappuccino.”
All the rage turned out to be for naught: much to the chagrin of one New York Times writer, both Starbucks and Bleecker Bob’s confirmed that the coffee chain would not be setting up shop there.
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