The back-and-forth of a heated ping-pong game keeps an unmistakable beat. In another area of a just-opened space on an industrial Williamsburg block, Smiths fans leaf through the British version of Morrissey’s “Autobiography” (not out here yet). Elsewhere, hipster types snack on treats made by folks from Greenpoint’s Five Leaves (named for Nick Drake’s first album).
All this activity is going on in a brand-new, 15,000-square-ft. record store — the first American branch of Rough Trade, the vinyl mecca launched in London in 1976.
Rough Trade knows it’s going against the grain, with chains such as Tower and Virgin and New York institutions like Bleecker Bob’s shuttering in recent years. But the operators of the North Ninth Street store are smart enough to know that for a record store to work, it has to be about more than just selling records.
“The store is somewhere where we want people to spend time,” says Rough Trade co-owner Stephen Godfroy. As he repeatedly tells The Post, Rough Trade is intended to be an inclusive experience. “It’s never too cool for school.”
Bearded Manhattanite Eric Glassman, checking out the place earlier this week, says, “I used to go to Virgin in Union Square all the time, but this place feels a lot more welcoming.” Clutching Nirvana’s “In Utero” 20th anniversary reissue, the 35-year-old adds, “It’s not easy for me to get to, but I can tell that it’ll be worth my journey when I do come.”
There are plenty of reasons for shoppers like him to make themselves comfortable inside. Huge shipping containers are dotted around the store, each holding a different attraction. One above the entrance hosts a music-related art installation which, for the first month, is a re-creation of rapper Childish Gambino’s bedroom. (Really!) Down below, a unit contains several keyboards people are free to fiddle with. Across the cavernous space, there is also an interactive area in which customers can use iPads to join in social media chatter about the latest albums.
If it’s real conversation you want, the store’s knowledgable clerks can tell you the difference between Crystal Fighters and Crystal Stilts, but won’t treat you like an idiot for asking. Rough Trade aspires to the lived-in feel of John Cusack’s store in “High Fidelity,” but you won’t get anyone giving you the Jack Black music-snob attitude.
Still, don’t expect to find the latest Miley or Gaga among the racks of new vinyl (and CDs), which house a specially curated selection running from the new Arcade Fire to classic Frank Zappa.
With the new store having been held up for a while by Hurricane Sandy, Rough Trade is now betting on New Yorkers to make it a favorite hangout haunt — the store has a 10-year lease.
Says co-owner Godfroy of his spacious new record store and more: “It’s a community hub and meeting place — not just a hobby shop for music nerds.”
Rough Trade, 64 N. Ninth St., between Kent and Wythe avenues. Mon. to Sat., 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.