[78-L] Record Stores

[Cary Ginell]

I don't mean to challenge your memory about Commodore, but there is a photograph of the interior of the Commodore Shop taken in 1947 that shows a whole array of different records. You can even see a customer purchasing the Kid Ory Columbia 78 album with the Jim Flora art cover. They never would have been able to stay in business selling only new Commodore records. Gabler was too smart a businessman to restrict his customers to just buying his own stuff. 

 

Commodore did have two storefronts at one time, though; Milt opened his own shop in 1938 at 46 W. 52nd St. (the original shop was at 144 E. 42nd St.). Not being old enough to have visited either shop, I don't know what the differences were between the two locations.

 

In 1926, Julius Gabler (Milt's father) contacted all the major record companies and had them send him the latest jazz releases. As far as I know, the store stocked all new jazz records from then on, and augmented the stock with the Commodore and UHCA releases as they came out.

 

Cary Ginell
 
> From: hhoffmst at charter.net
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:10:36 -0500
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Record Stores
> 
> As I recall my weekly visits in the forties, Commodore only sold Commodore 
> records, and only new.
> 
> Howard H.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Steven C. Barr" <stevenc at interlinks.net>
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 2:01 PM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Record Stores
> 
> 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel at mbiel.com>
> >> Cary Ginell wrote:
> >>> I'm finishing up my book on Hollywood's Jazz Man Record Shop, and in the
> >>> first chapter, I discuss the Commodore Shop. My research shows that they
> >>> started selling records as early as 1926, not 1933.
> >>> Cary Ginell
> >>>
> >> It's too bad Milt Gabler never did the autobiography everyone asked him
> >> to do, but all the ads are there, and Billy Crystal has his uncles's and
> >> his father's stuff. His father managed the store when Milt went to
> >> Decca. Again I mention the interesting DVD Billy did a few years ago
> >> about his Uncle Milt.
> >>
> > But Commodore even started and ran their own label! Did they also sell
> > new records on other labels...and, if so, more than one label or group
> > thereof? That is the change in record sales that I'm trying to date...?!
> >
> > Steven C. Barr
> >
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> > 
> 
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