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Somehow, one treasured relic from another time has survived in a mall in Belleville, but now the owner wants to retire after 45 years of running the world's last "Sam The Record Man" store. But he'd rather sell it than close it, so it's possible this unique blast from the past could still stay open with new management.
Alan Cross looks back at Sam's storied history and remembers when a trip downtown almost always included a visit to the shop at Yonge and Dundas. (With a stop two doors down to A&A's, of course.)
There's a Global News video accompanying this story, and the reporter mispronounces Sam Sniderman's name as "Sinderman." I'm guessing he wasn't around in the heyday of the store, because Sam became quite famous and something of a local legend in the city before he died and his stores here wound up as merely a musical memory.
At least the sign still lives on.
Remembering Sam the Record Man as the last store closes
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I'll be very honest though. My girlfriend and I have been to that location at Quinte Mall a couple of times, and the only things "Sam's" about it, is the store front logo at the entry way. All of the rest looks like some modern Sunrise with DVDs and Blue Rays, posters and the like.
If they had put in more effort, they could have gone for the handwritten artist names on the alphabetized shelf dividers that allow you to find your favourite LPs or CDs. Somehow, make it feel like you're at Sam's. That logo was the only thing that was reminiscent of the former chain, and you'd never know it from inside the store.
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The Global reporter lost all credibility misprounouncing Sam Sniderman's name. Wonder if the video came from Global's Kingston or Peterborough station?
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Likely Kingston. The Kingston station has always been the local station for Belleville, Kingston and Brockville.