location. Photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic.
BY DUSICA SUE MALESEIVC | In the early ’90s, a group of ambitious men went into Rock and Soul, an iconic record and DJ equipment store, looking to gain some exposure for their music.
“They asked my mom to sell their records,” Sharon Bechor, the current owner, recalled.
They were mainstream unknowns — but Shirley Bechor told them she would take the records on consignment and pay them for what was sold, Sharon Bechor told Chelsea Now at a recent interview at the store at 10 W. 37th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves. Visit rockandsoul.com).
“They sold a lot of records,” she said. “And it turns out that was the Wu-Tang Clan. We have a shout out on Method Man’s album, on Wu-Tang’s album, and on a lot of hip-hop albums. Actually, it’s pretty cool.”
Members of the Wu-Tang Clan are not the only famous artists to give Rock and Soul their business, since it opened in the ’70s. DJ Premier, Kool DJ Red Alert, DJ AM, as well as Mark and Samantha Ronson have frequented the store looking for equipment and records for their sets, Bechor said.
One could say that DJs saved the soul of the store.
Originally a record and consumer electronics store, Bechor’s parents opened Rock and Soul in 1975 at 462 Seventh Ave. (at W. 35th St.).
“At that time, there were a lot of electronic stores on Seventh Avenue,” Bechor said. “They sold a lot of records. At that time, it was probably a little bit more blue collar.”
Her parents kept their spheres of influence at the store separate: Bechor’s mom ran the record department, and her father, Joseph, ran the electronics department.
In the ’80s, the music industry shifted from records to CDs, Bechor said, and stores stopped selling vinyl.
“DJs found it really hard to buy music because they weren’t using CDs,” she said. “So the DJs would tell their friends and tell each other [Rock and Soul] still had records and then it…really, like, blew up into a DJ store.”
Bechor’s parents started stocking turntables, needles and mixers. DJs would often buy two records of the same song so they could mix them on turntables.
“It kind of took off from there,” she said. “It was only word of mouth. There was never any form of advertising.”
As DJs kept coming to the store, they also became its strongest asset. Bechor, who worked at the store during high school and college, took over as owner 10 years ago. She said it was good timing, as the way small businesses are run have changed.
“Unfortunately, it’s really, really hard,” she said. “You have to do things to make yourself different. Why would someone come and buy this exact thing here instead of just buying it on Amazon?”
Loyal customers offer to do sets at the store, and Bechor says there are classes and events. Often, the DJ sets are put on YouTube, which tourists mention to her that they have seen.
“I can’t compete on a lot of levels, but we at least have something that makes us a little bit more unique,” Bechor explained.
“There really is history here,” she added. “People who believe in the industry and have done so much for the culture are the ones who shop here. It’s all about the love, and spreading the love of the culture around.”
In addition to loyal customers, Bechor says her parents — who still work at the store — moved swiftly to provide people with what they wanted, whether it was a record or a certain type of needle.
The high traffic area on Seventh Ave. also helped the store’s longevity. However, the rent skyrocketed — more than quadrupled — and Rock and Soul moved to its current location at W. 37th St. in August, Bechor said.
Bechor says that while she misses the foot traffic, the store is doing well at the new spot.
“We know who we are,” she said. “We’re not trying to be like someone else.”
Rock and Soul has a sizable selection of records, and the records still sell — but it has been hard for the section to be very profitable.
“We didn’t have the heart to get rid of the records,” Bechor said. “It’s what made this store.”
But like many independent stores, Amazon looms as her biggest competitor, and it is difficult to foresee how long records will continue to be a part of the store.
“If there’s any part of you that would be a little bit sad about a store closing down — one of your favorite stores — then try to support them,” she said. “It’s hard to be a brick and mortar.
