Rough Trade Set To Open New Underground Record Shop At 30 Rock

NEW YORK CITY —Rough Trade, an independent record store for all things vinyl music, recently announced it will open a second location at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.

The second location is set to open following the relocation of the store's New York flagship to Rockefeller Center’s 1250 6th Avenue in September 2021.

The new 4,000 square-foot space, on Rockefeller Center’s Rink Level, will be part of the Center's Under 30 Rock collection of retailers and open in Spring 2025.

The new store will be called Rough Trade Below. It will feature Rough Trade’s expert curation of new vinyl releases, and its all-ages, affordable intimate live performance events and signings, according to officials.

“We’re extremely excited to be opening Rough Trade Below this spring, helping us further cater to the tremendous demand from music lovers across the five boroughs and beyond. It’s clear that the ethos of Rough Trade—to narrow the gap between artist and audience—has struck a tremendous chord, here in New York," Stephen Godfroy, co-owner of Rough Trade told Patch. “Creating a focus of counterculture in midtown Manhattan has thankfully proved to be a wildly successful move, and we look forward to creating an even stronger creative community as the year progresses.”

Rough Trade Below will increase the capacity for all ages in-store events to a few hundred and expand its calendar to reach even larger audiences, officials said. The new store will also greatly expand the selection of artist and band merchandise, as well as used vinyl.

In additon, Rough Trade Below will feature a large selection of artist/band merch, audio hardware (Bluetooth speakers, turntables, hi-fi separates, etc.) a large used records section, a large CD section (new and used), BluRay movies, collectables, and more. It will also feature one of Rough Trade’s popular PhotoBooths, with a special new twist.

The existing Rough Trade store at 30 Rock will become known as Rough Trade Above, and will keep expanding its focus on new vinyl records.

“We are thrilled to have Rough Trade expanding into a second location on campus, and join our Under 30 Rock collection of shops. In just three years, the store has become one of Manhattan’s cultural touchstones and a pillar of Rockefeller Center’s dynamic transformation,” EB Kelly, Senior Managing Director, Tishman Speyer and Head of Rockefeller Center told Patch. “New Yorkers have shown us how much they love the experience of the current store on Sixth Avenue, and the new space in our lively Under 30 Rock community will allow even more people to enjoy the musical taste of this legendary shop.”

Over the last year, the existing Rough Trade store has hosted shows and signings with Green Day, Coldplay, Charli XCX, De La Soul, and other household names, alongside underserved and below-the-radar bands across genres.