Not surprising, of course. And it's been ages since I've actually been in Bleecker Bob's, but growing up, this was one of the coolest record shops in the world (well, in NYC anyway, which was my world as a kid). But still, [putting in a Starbucks]( http://vanishingnewyork.blo...

Back in the late 70s, they had all kinds of great obscure punk bands and other music that you'd not find elsewhere. Another landmark from my youth disappears.

Not sure if it is still there but there used to be a Bleeker Bob's in Hollywood on Melrose Ave. Used to be on the north side of the street then they moved on the south side of Melrose. Melrose runs east/west. I have not been to Melrose in ages. I used to go to Bleeker's to find obscure stuff as you mentioned. I didn't know the history of the store, just figured it was a cool Hollywood record store but I found out later it's a NY establishment. They opened the Hollywood one afterwards I figure. Well there used to be two Brits who worked there. I used to go in the late '80s and early '90s and talk to the English guys, they were pretty cool. They looked like they were members of the UK band Gene Loves Jezebel, but obviously they were not, they just had that look. They were cool because I would ask them about UK bands I liked and stuff. I asked about Bow Wow Wow and Matthew Ashman and they said they used to play Snooker with them about the time they were about to break up Bow Wow Wow and form Chief's of Relief. He said Matthew was a junkie and hung out at his uncle's pub all the time and was on the Dole. Imagine that after Chiefs of Relief breaks up he can't make a living playing and then goes on the Dole and continues to be a junkie. No where but these English guys would I have learned about that.

I came back to the shop one day and asked this guy, an American, not a Brit, where the English guys were. I thought they owned the store, this is before I knew the background of the store. I said to the American guy if they sold the store. I honestly thought they were the owners of the store and he was not mad at me but he did say in an angry tone that they didn't own the store and they stole money from the store/him and disappeared. In other words he said they embezzled money from him and the store.

Besides good obscure punk and new wave so to speak they had a lot of good obscure neo-rockabilly.

I wonder if the Melrose location is still open.

The English guys who the owner claimed ripped him off looked like this -

A friend of mine just documented the closing of Bleecker Bob's with about 50 photos. So, for those who want to remember - here's the last look at Bleecker Bob's.

that was the "new " (30 years) location!..the classic punk era location was on macdougal just off 8th street..big cavern of a space and open just about 24 hours a day...not unusual to see bands congregating in there after the clubs closed at 4am...

got my emi sex pistols anarchy in the uk 45 there, the day it arrived from uk

one of bobs "talents" was his ability to know the currency of any country, as in if some italians walked in, he'd scream come on in and spend your lira, germans -deutsch marks etc

cheers

Very sad! I used to go there a lot in the early 80's when I lived there. I loved the place.

The New York Times issued a retraction, it is not becoming a Starbucks.

Looks like a lot of cool places are closing up these days. Friends of mine are losing it that a 7-11 opening in the East Village is the final straw, robbing the neighbourhood of its charm and "edge". Note: every time i've lived close to a 7-11 up here, it's been in an "edgy" neighbourhood.

I'm going to NYC in June, I guess i better check out all of the rad places again, before they get shut down.

This rips me apart. I thought it wouldn't get any worse when the Banana Republic moved to Bleecker and MacDougal. For the past 15 years, I've watching my favorite places south of 14th street drop off 1 by 1. But Bleecker Bob's? I spent many a late night there in a post-boozed up alcohlic daze or even after a nice walk after a late breakfast.

This is depressing but at least Chumley's better re-open....that'll take a little of the sting away.

Wow, what a coincidence: I switched on my tv and there was a Seinfeld rerun where Kramer and Newman try to sell some old records at Bleecker Bob's.

I read today where 7-11 is making a big push into NYC (where they've tried and failed in the past). It's not good for the bodegas, who barely make ends meet on sales of lotto tix, cigarettes, beer and Malta.

But I guess if CBGB can become a John Varvatos store, nothing is sacred.

Then again, I think there's a Korean deli in the spot where Max's used to be on Park Ave South, so maybe it will all come around again.

The whole of lower Manhattan has become like a mall - large chain stores. Having lived there since the early 70s it is losing much of what made it different.

All we need is another Starbucks. There's an article in the NY Times today / or yesterday about how Starbucks profits are up due to its expansions in China. I really do think we all pay a price when we shop - for coffee or other stuff - largely in large chain stores.

Just gonna have to play the blues tonight.

I first visited NYC in the 90's, and was surprised that "The Deuce" was so CLEAN. I learned that the city had made a great effort to whitewash the area (the term "Disnefy" was thrown around a lot) and remove the theaters located in Times Square. Still, there were a few cool shops and such. I went there again in 2009, and going to Times Square gave me a migraine. The Disneyfication is complete.

There's something fundamentally wrong with starbucks. I refuse to even enter one. It's like the wall-mart attitude, I can't stand either one. A cup of good coffee should be just about a buck and bottomless in most diners. Screw starbucks.

I had starbucks a couple weeks ago. It tasted used.

Starbucks built its (evil) empire by finding neighborhoods with independently owned coffeehouses, then opening their stores as close as possible to them. Many of those independents --- some long-standing neighborhood fixtures, with funky, idiosyncratic charm that reflected their owners and clientele --- were not able to withstand the competition and went out of business, leaving Starbucks ALL of the neighborhood's coffeeshop trade. Several of my own personal favorite hangouts were killed off in this way, and consequently, I do not and will not patronize Starbucks.

Besides, their coffee ain't all that..

Their coffee tastes like it was filtered through an ashtray. Smurf Starbucks.