Sam the Record Man
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| Sam The Record Man | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Key people | Jason Sniderman, Bobby Sniderman |
| Industry | Retailing |
| Products | Music |
| Website | http://www.samtherecordman.com |
Sam the Record Man is a Canadian record store chain that, at one time, was Canada's largest music recording retailer, with 130 stores. The Internet age, the competition with the powerful HMV (HMV stores lowering prices in stores near Sam the Record Man locations) and other factors, forced the chain into bankruptcy on October 30, 2001. It now exists as a two-store chain, with stores in the Ontario cities of Sarnia and Belleville.
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[edit] Founding
The chain was first launched in 1937 by Sam Sniderman, as a record department in his family's existing radio store in Toronto.[1] In 1961, the store moved out to its own location on Yonge Street, and its location at 347 Yonge Street has become a Toronto landmark. The four-storey record store located to the site, which was very close to the flagship store of the competing A&A Records chain, in 1961.
[edit] Neon signs
The Yonge Street location was always noted for its kitschy signage.[2] Its first neon signage included the store's address in large neon "347" numbers vertically aligned between two windows.[3] On the left side was a thermometer made from neon. On the far right was a neon multi-sectioned triangle similar to the one on top of the Canada Life Building, which indicated weather conditions depending on how it was blinking.[3] In the late 1960s, the iconic double disc, spinning records neon sign replaced the previous neon signs. The neon signs can be seen clearly in the video for the Rush song "Subdivisions" filmed in downtown Toronto in 1982 and Donald Shebib's influential proto-Canadian film Goin' Down the Road.
[edit] Building the chain
The flagship Sam the Record Man store was also famous for its Boxing Day sales. Shoppers would line up over many city blocks, in the cold, to get one-day-only specially discounted records, and eventually, as the technology changed, CDs, and videos.[1]
The chain stores were early promoters of Canadian artists, because they prominently featured their work with in-store displays, and concerts. Sam Sniderman played a role in getting the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to implement Canadian content (Can-con) regulations for radio stations in the early 1970s. The move to Can-con allowed many Canadian musicians to gain a voice in their own country.[4]
In the late 1960s, Sniderman expanded the business with franchised and corporate stores outside of Toronto. The chain subsequently expanded to 130 stores across Canada, before the recorded music and media business started to decline in the 1990s.[1] At one time, the chain was the leading music retailer in Canada.[5]
[edit] 2001 bankruptcy
In 2001, tough competition, narrow margins, and the availability of free music downloads from the Internet, forced the chain to declare bankruptcy.[4] Most of its 30 corporate-owned stores closed.[4] The Sniderman family was underwriting the chain's debt of $15 million for the previous five years and finally could not continue to lose money.[4] Under new management, Sam Sniderman's sons Jason and Bobby Sniderman reopened the Yonge Street store in 2002 along with 11 franchise stores outside of Toronto.[4] The franchise stores were not a part of the bankruptcy filing. Eventually, most of the stores were closed, along with a corporate store in Halifax, Nova Scotia location being shut down on February 20, 2007.[6]
[edit] Yonge Street flagship store closes
On May 29, 2007, Jason and Bobby Sniderman announced that the iconic flagship store, on Toronto's Yonge and Gould Streets, would close permanently on June 30, 2007.[7] They stated that "their decision reflects the increasing impact of technology on the record industry."[7] On May 30, 2007, supporters started a Facebook group to save the store's neon spinning record signs titled "Save the Sam's Sign!!!"; the group, and its attached online petition, garnered more than 18,000 members. [8] On June 14, 2007, it was announced that the sign, and the contents of the store will be auctioned-off by Benaco Sales on June 27. [9] However, on June 22, 2007, the Toronto city council voted in favour of designating the entire property as a heritage site, protecting the entire building, including the landmark signs.[2]The entire building was designated because the Ontario Heritage Act has no provisions to protect store signs.[2] On January 18, 2008 Ryerson University officially acquired the property for future expansion of its nearby campus. [10]
The last remnants of the Sam the Record Man retail empire are the two franchise stores that remain open in Sarnia and Belleville.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Black, Debra. "Sam the Record Man finally signs off", News, The Toronto Star, 2007-05-30. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
- ^ a b c VINCENT, DONOVAN (2007-06-23). Heritage designation saves signs from Sam's (HTML). Toronto News section. The Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2007-06-23.
- ^ a b Simpson, Scott (Summer 1996). "Sam The Record Man - About That Neon". Cygnals Zine 1 (8). To see a facsimile of these signs, check out the Cygnals story
- ^ a b c d e "'Sam the Record Man' files for bankruptcy", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2001-10-30. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
- ^ GANDHI, UNNATI. "Toronto's Sam the Record Man closing", National News, The Globe and Mail, 2007-05-29. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
- ^ "Sam no longer the record man in Halifax", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007-02-20. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
- ^ a b Sam the Record Man to shut its Yonge St. doors (HTML). Entertainment section. The Toronto Star (2007-05-29). Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
- ^ Seatle, Pam (2007-05-30). Sam The Record Man's Flagship Store To Close After One Last Big Sale (HTML/Windows Media). Citytv. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
- ^ Marlow, Iain (2007-06-15). Sam's sign set to be sold (HTML). News section. The Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2007-06-15.
- ^ Ryerson acquires Sam's property and three others (HTML). Ryerson University (2008-01-18). Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
[edit] External links
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