Watch this space: Owner Gary Giddens showed Brooklyn Paper around the Fifth Avenue location ahead of its makeover.
Photo by Adam Daly/Sterling Records
Enjoy the silence while you can Park Slope, there’s a new record store opening on Fifth Avenue next month, promising to be a haven for music aficionados of all ages.
Sterling Records, a passion project of owner Gary Giddens and backed by synth-pop legend Vince Clarke — one of the founding members of Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Erasure — is aiming to open its doors and have records spinning by May. 19, just in time for the annual Fifth Avenue street fair.
Giddens, also the owner of nearby bar Gowanus Gardens, was first encouraged to follow his teenage dream of opening a record store by Clarke, his long-time friend. He said Clarke’s decision to come on board early as an investor got the ball rolling on making Sterling Records a reality.
“I’m really excited to be involved with Gary’s project, an opportunity to share our passion for music, history, vinyl and the art of audio,” Clarke said in a statement to Brooklyn Paper. “As an investor, I also get a discount at the store, so it’s a win, win situation.”
The store is also being supported by Gidden’s friends, the owners of Maker Park Radio, a non-profit radio station out of Staten Island, who will be streaming shows from the store as well as facilitating live music performances and showcases of local acts.
Both Giddens and Clarke regularly host their own shows on the station that will have a permanent deck in the front window of Sterling Records. Giddens plans to host his own show from the Fifth Avenue location but remained tight-lipped about who else shoppers may find on the decks.
Fans of Clarke, who may be eager to see the former Park Slope resident in person, can catch him performing his new solo album, Songs of Silence, at National Sawdust in Williamsburg on May 4.
Once renovations are finished at the former print shop…
Read the full article here
