Rough Trade to triple size of New York store
Rough Trade has announced that it will be expanding the size of its New York store by triple the current capacity.
Initially opened in 2013, the store became the first branch to open outside of the UK and was also the largest record store in New York until they moved premises from Williamsburg to Manhattan in 2021.
Since then, the new location at the Rockefeller Plaza shopping centre has seen sales double due to a recent rise in record sales, and the venue regularly hosts events such as live performances and artist signings.
In an effort to increase space for fans in its venue as well as increasing the stock of vinyl and merchandise, the record store will expand the downstairs area of the premises to accommodate approximately 300 people.
Rough Trade co-owner Stephen Godfroy says of the expansion: “It’s not just that the area is busy; it’s relatively easy to get to for a lot of people. We want to reach as broad an audience as possible, provide the biggest platform that we possibly can for the artists that we represent.”
He continued: “The fact that our in-store [shows] are all-ages, and admission is the price of the LP – it provides this egalitarian, civic service in a way. It gives everybody that chance, that accessibility to meet their music heroes.”
The first Rough Trade store was opened in 1976 in Ladbroke Grove in London by founder Geoff Travis, and while the original store is no longer open, the franchise has expanded to have five stores in the UK, with its flagship in Brick Lane, London, one in New York, and one in Berlin.
The store is also known for having launched its own record label, which Travis started in 1978, and has released music from a diverse range of artists from The Smiths to The Strokes.
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