MEMORIES OF SAM THE RECORD MAN - YONGE STREET

Some nice glimpses of Sams flagship store at 349 Yonge Street in the 70s, 80s and 90s...

[@FrankKnight8846]

I miss Old Toronto. So much fun.

[@TeacherInspirationStation]

It’s crazy how much times have changed.

[@frankihatch]

Teacher Inspiration Station its a shithole now

[@jacklynsmith7438]

Unfortunately not always for the best. It was my first place to go when i got into Toronto, after i gound a shopsey cart! Miss those days immensely.

[@Neville60001]

No Franklin Hatch, it's not. It's just different.

[@TheWorldOfDannyJ]

I miss this place, I grew up in Guelph and visited just for the huge selection, got a lot of my music from Sam's. I also always admired Sam Sniderman for his relentless advocacy for Canadian artists.

[@ElleMS-14]

Ahhh yes, I remember coming in here with my big sis to buy records before we’d go to the cheap movie theatre at Eaton’s centre. Memories.

[@YellowWalkman]

The ones that were the size of a one car garage?

[@andrewhudson9779]

Visited relatives in Toronto in '76. Being a record hound I spent many a happy hour searching through the stock of Sam's and A&A records. Came back to the u.k with hell of a pile of records. And made a pile selling em 😀. To this day I wonder what jewels were left by me in that 3rd floor warehouse.evey l.p was priced at 99cents in those heady days a British pound bought two dollars and a few cents WOW. Great city great days..

[@Will1982]

Such a Toronto Icon.

[@spockboy]

Ryerson was supposed to put the sign back up somewhere..........still waiting.

[@elvisthechef]

Its back up in the Yonge and Dundas Square, I was happy to see it lit up last time I was in Toronto.

[@disprogreavette8545]

@@spockboy Ryerson is no longer (the name at least) and soon Dundas will change. Erasing history is the Toronto way.

[@lisaGTorontogirl]

Oh my gosh. What me memory’s Walking Yonge st Sam the record man A and A cheapies up the street. Weee all my go to places in the eighties I could find great import 12 inch of many bands I loved. Mostly from UK Great new stuff I lived in the suburbs. But one of my cousins from Halifax NS. Was always so envious because I always had great music and he was always ahead of was was out there my cousin was envious of all these great music shops. Back then I. The eighties and nineties. Great memories 😊

[@GENERALWACKASS]

OMG.... i loved seeing those records when i was young

[@fuzzyscarfandmittens4772]

Such memories of that place as a young teen, trolling the aisles and seeing what they had. Then next door to A&A, across the street to Sunrise. Maybe see if anything at Cheapies was good.

[@michaelbrewder6498]

Old Toronto and old NYC so much has changed

[@diezeldiamond1041]

Yonge st .My friends and I would go down and it was a big party in those days .The 70s and 80s .

[@sda9995]

I remember walking up & down Yonge street in the 80s nope never got bored there! Lol

[@johnpatterson4272]

Ahh yes, 'Sam The Record Man', 'A and A's' and the 'Vinyl Museum' on southern Yonge St. a deadly combination for the vinyl connoisseur. The last stop before a concert at Maple Leaf Gardens, a journey through the Eaton Centre and or the bus or train trip back to the boonies. That was livin' large.

[@78zappaf]

I miss this place.

[@Tbaum77]

I fondly remember the Labour Day weekend sale at the Yonge/Dundas location in 1991 and Sam (the actual Record Man) personally showing me where the new Mr Bungle record was for sale!

[@PrankZabba]

I wonder if he liked it.

[@theshawnmurphyjournal2946]

Had every genre of music you could think of from opera to thrash metal

[@pinlight97]

Been there and loved it! Now my son is into vinyl and a wide range of music from back then…record shops are back even if Sam’s isn’t.

[@LearnOffice365]

brings back memories, we'd ride bikes down and hang out at Elm street back in the day.

[@stevenoname3175]

Remember the day when you would line up in the back alley of Sam's to buy concert tickets?

[@funkydung.]

Thats cool ..thanks so much

[@OofusTwillip]

Some of my favourite footage of the Yonge St. Strip is in the "SCTV" spoof of "Goin' Down the Road". I still remember the day my "Canadian Culture" U of T class watched the original film, followed by the parody. The laughter in response to the parody was visceral.

[@guskarapas5752]

Bringing back good memories of me shopping for music cds. Miss those times.

[@sda9995]

I can't remember if it was Sam or A & A that people were inline for days waiting to buy Elton John CD 1997 Candles in the wind

[@sda9995]

Back in the days was the only 2 store that sold records till the late 70s early 80s more records store opening in the malls

[@ytzpilot]

Exactly as I remember it

[@TabbyAngel2]

Wish I couldve seen this store. Looked so cool

[@PrankZabba]

it sucks what happened to them, but that's just how it goes. you should see how small and tiny the last one (in Belleville) is :(

[@siotibi827]

Summer of 94, I was inquiring about the price of a CD that had no sticker. So this old, balding guy goes: " We're having a good day today anyway, so here " took a marker and wrote $9.99 on the jewel case. I was happy and it was very nice of him. I'm not sure, but it may have been Sam himself; looked like him from what I remember.

[@CDNChaoZ]

Those were some expensive CDs back in the day!

[@greyone40]

Do I remember it being at 347 Yonge Street? Perhaps from the writing on the bags from the store?

[@jeffreybaker100]

Very similar to now defunct Record Theater in Buffalo, NY

[@Rbexa1]

who wrote the background music. LOVED THIS PLACE!!

[@salguzzo6794]

Always busy.

[@worthlessmutts9598]

when toronto was clean.

[@edwardbliss8931]

The song makes me want to put mousse in my hair

[@Xantank]

Edward Bliss lol

[@junkboxxxxxx]

Lineups all over Yonge on Boxing Day for this annual super sale

[@DaddyOfTheSugarVariety]

I Think I was 19 the first time I went in there.

[@peteryeung111]

$20 for a cd seems like a lot of money even now

[@raymondraffoul2402]

Yonge street was much better then. 😢

[@Neville60001]

@Raymond, how did you seriously expect it to stay the exact same?

[@raymondraffoul2402]

@@Neville60001 I simply said "Yonge street was much better then". For me that feeling still stands. Nothing remains the same for ever. Somethings are better with change and somethings are not. Such is life. I know I'm not the only person that feels this way.