Tough Commerce have introduced that they’re opening a brand new department in New York Metropolis’s Rockefeller Middle, to be named Tough Commerce Under.
Will probably be the second Tough Commerce website on the midtown Manhattan location and shall be based mostly on the ice rink stage, instantly reverse the Forty seventh-Fiftieth St-Rockefeller Middle subway station.
Set to open within the spring, the shop will embody new and used vinyl data, new and used CDs, artist merchandise, audio {hardware}, Blu-rays and extra and also will play host to common in-store performances and appearances.
Tough Commerce co-owner Stephen Godfroy has stated: “We’re extraordinarily excited to be opening Tough Commerce Under this spring, serving to us additional cater to the super demand from music lovers throughout the 5 boroughs and past.”
We’re increasing right here within the coronary heart of NYC, opening a second retailer at Rockefeller Middle… situated beneath our present retailer!
Our present retailer stays, whereas our new retailer will add and increase the vinyl provide, merch and far rather more.
In-store stay performances + talks will now… pic.twitter.com/VmMbHwWf38
— Tough Commerce US (@RoughTradeUS) January 23, 2025
“It’s clear that the ethos of Tough Commerce – to slim the hole between artist and viewers – has struck an incredible chord right here in New York. Creating a fair bigger mecca for the music lover is an thrilling prospect, particularly for our intimate stay occasions, the place the world’s most enjoyable artists carry out in-store for the admission of buying their new album. Creating a spotlight of counterculture in midtown Manhattan has fortunately proved to be a wildly profitable transfer, and we sit up for creating a fair stronger inventive neighborhood because the 12 months progresses.”
Tough Commerce’s different New York website opened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2013, turning into New York Metropolis’s largest report retailer, earlier than relocating to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in 2021.
The chain of music retail outlets was based by Geoff Travis in Ladbroke Grove, West London in 1976. It went on to spawn the report label of the identical title in 1978, though the 2 entities separated 4 years later.
Tough Commerce at the moment has a number of shops in London, together with one within the former Tin Pan Alley that opened in October, in addition to bases in Nottingham and Liverpool.
Final 12 months, Tough Commerce managing director Lawrence Montgomery stated they have been seeking to open extra shops, notably in London. “We at all times regulate alternatives within the UK however we’re respectful to the good indie shops across the nation, so we’re very particular when taking a look at alternatives,” he stated. He additionally added that the chain have been “assessing a pair alternatives in London, the place we have now a robust group and operational set-up.”
It follows the large resurgence within the vinyl trade in recent times, with the variety of impartial vinyl shops hitting a 10-year excessive final 12 months and vinyl outselling CDs for the primary time in 35 years in 2023.
