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Birdel's Records in Bed-Stuy

Otis_FunkmeyerOtis_Funkmeyer 1,321 Posts
edited March 2011 in Strut Central
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2011/03/04/2011-03-04_the_vinyl_goodbye_birdels_in_bedstuy_closes.html

50+ year old soul store shuts its doors tomorrow. Just saw the story on the news. I've never even heard of this place. Anyone here have any luck there?

  Comments

  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    Perhaps it was his sunny disposition that kept the place open:

    Before Brooklyn-raised rapper Biggie Smalls' career took off, he spent hours sampling vinyl records at the store, Long said.

    "He'd say one day he was going to be famous, and I'd say, 'No, you're not,'" Long said.
  • Otis_FunkmeyerOtis_Funkmeyer 1,321 Posts
    Somebody here must have been here. 100,000 singles?

    Supposedly he's selling the stock for $25-30K.
  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    My friend's been there. He said it was aight, nothing bananas.
  • nutriciousnutricious 118 Posts
    came across the spot kinda randomly during my last trip to ny... a whole lot of character in there, old dudes harmonizing to the sweet soul tunes they were playing in the store...

    barely any records that i could see though, maybe two or three crates of LPs and a couple of boxes with mostly sleeveless 45s. dude laughed at me when i started looking through the records on some "who still buys vinyl?" tip. didn't have much time, but walked out with two nice billy stewart singles with no sleeves. made a mental note to come back on my next visit, but i guess that's not going to happen now...
  • herbacios tweedherbacios tweed 445 Posts
    checked out the back around 2005 or so, whole rooms of three to four foot piles in disarray with walking paths carved into them. first time i asked they said come back some other time, second time i got access to the back but quoted $10 a record. after an hour of finding nothing but harry belafonte, VG- lesser impulse titles, and soca 12"s, i bounced.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    herbacios tweed said:
    checked out the back around 2005 or so, whole rooms of three to four foot piles in disarray with walking paths carved into them. first time i asked they said come back some other time, second time i got access to the back but quoted $10 a record. after an hour of finding nothing but harry belafonte, VG- lesser impulse titles, and soca 12"s, i bounced.

    My friend's been there. He said it was aight, nothing bananas.

    barely any records that i could see though, maybe two or three crates of LPs and a couple of boxes with mostly sleeveless 45s. dude laughed at me when i started looking through the records on some "who still buys vinyl?" tip.

    And people are sad that this place is closing???
  • herbacios tweedherbacios tweed 445 Posts
    As has been mentioned here time and time again whether you came up or or not is a poor criteria for defining whether a record store is good or not. This was simply a nice storefront with ties to the local community, and not much more than that. Good for him on retiring and enjoying life.
  • funky16cornersfunky16corners 7,175 Posts
    herbacios tweed said:
    As has been mentioned here time and time again whether you came up or or not is a poor criteria for defining whether a record store is good or not. This was simply a nice storefront with ties to the local community, and not much more than that. Good for him on retiring and enjoying life.

    Actually, I can't think of a single criteria more important in judging a record store.
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    funky16corners said:
    herbacios tweed said:
    As has been mentioned here time and time again whether you came up or or not is a poor criteria for defining whether a record store is good or not. This was simply a nice storefront with ties to the local community, and not much more than that. Good for him on retiring and enjoying life.

    Actually, I can't think of a single criteria more important in judging a record store.

    Dudes, come on.

    Yes, that is the most important criterion for great collectros, but most of the people in the surrounding community were not that. It sounds like it was an important community hub. Probably most of their business was selling cassettes and CDRs to old folks. There's a dude up above 125th Street in my neighborhood who does that and, while he doesn't offer anything that I am interested in buying, he brings a lot of light into the lives of neighborhood folks who don't download music by reconnecting them with the music of their youth.
  • kalakala 3,361 Posts
    i went thru all of it in 98 while you slept during digging 101 at nyu
    don't worry i found lots of heat -lots of island funk including the St. Vincent Latinaires, blue rhythm combo,what i think is the only funky sparrow related lp and tons of roots/ dub on lp/and 45s that went for 2-3 dollars each
    i went back 3-4 times since and it never got better
  • slashyourfaceslashyourface 3 Posts
    45s found there yesterday:

    Ray baretto - deeper shade of soul
    Sarah Vaughan - One Mint Julep/Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean
    Freddy King/LuLu Reed - You Can't Hide
    Johnny Twist - Nobody Knows
    Mitty Collier - Pain
    j.j. barnes - Pleast Let Me In

    Plus a bunch more. That was about all that was left for worthwhile 45s. 33 cents apiece.
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