One Shubert Alley gift shop to close October 2

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 4:54pm

Link

On top of Phantom closing, another Broadway stalwart that's been around as long is also closing. The One Shubert Alley store, where I work will be shutting down by Oct. 2. We'll still be at Theatre Circle for all your merch needs. Sad days on 44th St.

[The8re phan]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 5:24pm

wow, i am more upset by this news than that of PTO.......... thank you for such wonderful visits to your store all these years

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 5:44pm

agreed!   This is a bigger lose emotionally!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 6:06pm

Wow. Those gift shops were my first job in the city. We went back and forth between the Marquis, the one next to the St. James and Shubert Alley - that one being the one we wanted to be sent to because it was always just you working and you could play any cast recording you wanted without having to go through the “does anyone mind if I put on…” crap 8x a day. 

I had so many people duck in during their shows (in costume) to shoot the sh*t and just talk. Same with the Marquis shop but never the other. The list of theater legends that walked through those doors to gossip and shop is a mile long. Liza used to buy her sheet music at these stores. Barbara Cook would stop in to see if certain sheet music was in stock. It goes on and on. Yes they were tourist shops but for a time they were also where theater makers (and lovers) would be in the same space shopping for the same things. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 7:25pm

Jordan, thanks for sharing those stories. Do you happen to know if the Shuberts run the shop, or if they just rent it out? 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 7:32pm

No, not run by Shuberts. It’s been a looong time since I worked ther but I think they’re run by Theatre Refreshment Co. At least that’s where I seem to remember my checks coming from and where I occasionally would have to drop papers off to. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 8:06pm

That's a shame. But their prices always seemed higher than anywhere else.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 8:17pm

Just wondering what they’ll do with the space. It’s an odd size with no real storage space (merch is brought over from the other store) so what you see is really what you get there.  
 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 10:23pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Just wondering what they’ll do with the space. It’s an odd size with no real storage space (merch is brought over from the other store) so what you see is really what you get there."

Perhaps something Shubert-owned? I doubt a non-theatrical tenant or coffee shop or something would want to be sandwiched between two Broadway theatres because of the uniqueness of the foot traffic...unless they're taking down part of a wall and make it lobby/bathroom/backstage space?

[IronMan]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 11:27pm

Aww, that's a shame.  I haven't gone inside in years (getting free swag instead), but loved going there pre-internet when you never knew what might be in stock.  But my most memorable story is when a friend was coming to NYC in the mid-80s and I gave him money to get me a Sunday in the Park... t-shirt, but they were out so he got me a Cats sweatshirt instead.

I didn't talk to him for weeks. 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 12:00pm

I’m confused. Is One Shubert Alley the one across the street from the Majestic or is that Theatre Circle?

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 12:21pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I’m confused. Is One Shubert Alley the one across the street from the Majestic or is that Theatre Circle?"

If I'm not mistaken, One Shubert Alley is the one that's physically in the alley. Hopefully they can do some good business during the Flea Market!

As good a time as any to mention that, despite the thousand degree heat and insane prices, God, I miss Colony.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 1:02pm

This is such a bummer! One Shubert Alley was one of the first places I’d visited in NYC. It’s a great place to kill time in between shows, and it was a great place to find merch from past shows you may have recently missed. Theatre Circle is great too, but One Shubert’s charm can’t be replicated.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 5:27pm

I always felt a little claustrophobic in there but I'm still sad to see a theater store close. It's such a unique space, I feel like it almost has to be something theater related.

[pethian]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 6:18pm

Perhaps a good satellite location for Triton Gallery?

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 7:50pm

Wow, I completely forgot about the shop next to the St. James with the smaller room in the back that had all the scripts.  As a theater kid/nerd, I remember flipping thru the show posters and looking through all the souvenir programs of shows I hadn't seen. There used to be an equally small store next to the Minskoff where I would buy show score selections during the late 80's and 90's. Can't remember the name of it though. 

[saxpower]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 11:18pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Just wondering what they’ll do with the space. It’s an odd size with no real storage space (merch is brought over from the other store) so what you see is really what you get there.
"

Wasn't it a dressing room at one point?  Is it on the Shubert or Booth side of the Stage House (I can't tell looking at Google Maps- its close to the Booth, but of course the Booth is smaller).  Maybe one of the theaters is being renovated and the space is needed? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/19/22 at 12:36am

I think using it for more stage space would be smart. But I think it's an ideal space - since we're all so use to outdoor seating - for a bar/cafe. 

[jnb9872]

Posted: 9/19/22 at 10:41am

This one hurts... what a wonderful little space filled with such memories.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/19/22 at 10:51am

pethian said: "Perhaps a good satellite location for Triton Gallery?"

That’ll never happen. 

[MCfan2]

Posted: 9/19/22 at 11:19am

What a shame! I'm still not over The Colony closing, and now this.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/19/22 at 12:37pm

This was also my first job in the city. Being able to play any cast recording (and even burned a few mixes of my own to bring along with me) while I folded shirts and occasionally chatted with folks waiting for shows was one of the highlights of my first year in the city. I only got to work at One Shubert Alley a small handful of times, but it was always my favorite shop to work in of the 5 they owned at the time. Even then, I wondered how they stayed open. Can’t imagine business got any better, so I’m actually surprised they lasted this long after the Marquis shops closed.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/19/22 at 12:49pm

^ Do you still fold your shirts the way we did at the shops? I do. 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/19/22 at 2:25pm

Jordan Catalano said: "^ Do you still fold your shirts the way we did at the shops? I do."

Sure do.

Working in those shops is also the only reason I know a thing about Purlie. One of the managers was obsessed and played it every shift.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 9/19/22 at 4:55pm

I actually miss Colony more than any of those Broadway souvenir shops. I know a few of you have worked there, so please don’t take offense. However, I’ve typically found those stores populated with nasty bitter theatre fan employees who were so rude and condescending. They have conversations out loud with each other about how annoying and stupid customers are. They would also trash shows and actors within earshot of customers. Their unpleasantness kept me from returning.