Comments on: death of a music store

By: Eric Fahn

Eric Fahn — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:49:56 +0000

I was in total shock when I found out that Patelson Music House has gone out of business during my recent visit to NYC. It is no doubt another casualty of the on-line music purchase trend. Unfortunately, many of us still enjoy the personal touch while buying music or instruments. Luckily, I still have a few simple but classy Patelson’s business cards left in my violin case. Thanks for the memory!!!!!

By: Bob Vetter

Bob Vetter — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:56:27 +0000

I purchased at Patelsons mostly as an adult, after returning from Europe. (Have fond memories of Doeblingers in Vienna which became very commercial in recent years). But my piano teacher bought at Patelsons, although mostly at Carl Fisher and T. Presser (Phila). I don’t remember much about “smugness” of the help but will miss the browsing and that great store front! Alas, the mireacle of the Web ruins some things we love and cherish!

By: SoYoung Lee

SoYoung Lee — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:54:15 +0000

I once receive a pile of music from Patelson’s that I never ordered and felt so badly for the conductor who was obviously waiting in vain, I went through the trouble of forwarding them myself. Too bad about its closing but something else will sprout to replace it, I am sure.

By: Philip Sheppard

Philip Sheppard — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:34:34 +0000

I couldn’t believe the change in the place between my first and second visits. I went in to buy some nice A3 manuscript paper to find dog-eared tat there in place of what used to be quirky but cared-for stock.
I found them snobbish too, and I steered clear of the place when one chap who worked there gave me an ear-bashing about not wanting to buy a solo clarinet piece he’d written himself…. (I’m a cellist, let me out…!)
best
Philip

By: Aaron Van Heyningen

Aaron Van Heyningen — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:04:07 +0000

Full disclosure: I work at Frank Music.

It is an absolute shame that Patelson’s is going out of business. They have been an institution for the hard working musicians of NYC and the world for something like 75 years. I’m sure that I’m not the only one saying that it was the first music store I visited when I moved to NYC, so they will always have some special spot in my heart.

New York does not have a healthy climate for small, individually owned businesses. With the soaring cost of doing business in an actual brick and mortar store, it is amazing that so many small businesses are still around.

The internet has changed the way people buy music. It’s cheaper — as long as you plan on never having to look at the music or ask questions, you’ll be fine. Unfortunately, if we don’t support local music stores now, they will be gone in the very near future. For the last 30 years Heidi has owned Frank music, and managed to have a pretty incredible collection of music. (Again, I work there; I’ve seen what is just lying around the shelves.) I think that everyone on this forum would agree that having a music store in New York is very important, and she has been hard at work in a business that, it seems, only she and the Juilliard Bookstore still want to be in.

By: david toub

david toub — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:50:26 +0000

I totally agree, Richard. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. While Patelsons became essentially irrelevant to me over the past many years, at one time it was indeed the place to obtain scores, music books, records, notation paper, etc. I remember going to Schirmer’s and Wurlitzer’s as a kid, and they just couldn’t compare (although I really have to admit the old string instruments on exhibit at Wurlitzer’s was really cool). It’s like the old Carnegie Recital Hall—a piece of an era died with it.

By: Richard Friedman

Richard Friedman — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:09:05 +0000

I just read the article about Patelson’s in the Times this morning (and blogged about it). First I’d heard they were closing.

My memories of the place go back to the late 50′s and early 60′s. I bought scores and parts, and most of my music books came from there.

True, they were grumpy even then. But I was a kid so I was used to that. “Is that ALL you want?” like I could afford all the orchestral parts to the Symphonie Fantastique? All I wanted was the double bass part….

But yes, there was very little contemporary music, except for some boring academics. Still, it was a music store. There was some kind of a glow around it. And I too would always try to stop in there when I was in NY after moving out west.

Here in Berkeley the long-time music store, Tupper and Reed, closed last year. They sold sheet music and scores as well as instruments and stuff (even tin whistles!), and they had practice rooms for lessons.

But it too was running at a loss for years.

Says something about our culture, the loss of music education in the schools, and the loss of places to meet like-minded people to chat about music, or books, or whatever.

We seem to be doomed to sit and stare at LCD screens, by ourselves, in a virtual world, removed.

Regardless of what Patelsons may have become in its last years, this loss leaves us all a bit diminished.

By: david toub

david toub — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:33:31 +0000

I haven’t bought from them in years either. In all honesty, when I wrote the original post above, I wanted to mention the utter assholishness of many of the staff that I experienced over the years. They were often smug, unhelpful, arrogant and frankly didn’t seem like they could give a damn. I feel bad about their demise only in terms of my nostalgic feelings and because I used to go there every time I was in NYC pretty much. I’m not sure their demise will impact my life one iota, however.

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:46:01 +0000

Okay, I haven’t bought anything there for years, so that makes me feel guilty for being part of the death of an “institution.” I used to love Patelson’s, but I agree with Sean Hickey and Christopher O’Riley, their staff was often less than helpful. Price ultimately drove them out of business, but their lack of customer service didn’t help.

By: Rodney Lister

Rodney Lister — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:39:22 +0000

Patelson’s never seemed all that good to me after the first time I was there (there’s some kind of–probably dirty–joke in there). For years it seemed like they never had much of anything. Of course I haven’t been there in years. Music stores generally seem to be going the way of record stores anyway, although web alternatives seem less easy.