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Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

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#1

Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 6:37am

Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

The store will close its door for the final time in just 3 months time, mid April.
Centuary 21 are due to pen their new store in November.
Always a favorite place to spend some time before and after a show.Billboard.bizz.com 01/13/09

#4

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 6:56am

what a shame - I spent much time there before shows - its a great store. You could find just about everything in there - I shall miss it
#6

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 9:15am

This is truly depressing. Is it my fault for buying so many cast albums via iTunes? I wonder if the Virgin Megastore in the village will stay open. Really sad.
#7

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 9:52am

I'm confused. Is Century 21 (downtown) closing? Is it opening a new store in the Virgin store space?
www.thebreastcancersite.com
A click for life.
mamie4 5/14/03
#8

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 10:11am

In the mid-90s, it was a great store for hanging out, browsing, and enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee. It was a favorite spot for me and my entire family to visit every time we went to NYC. I bought many CDs there before the prices started getting jacked up and you could buy the latest cast recordings on sale.

After a few years, when they closed the coffee shop, it became a loud, crowded obnoxious mess. It was poorly maintained (the bathrooms were revolting) and the excruciating volume was painful. The Chicago store was slightly better, but when they closed it (the liquidation sale was even a joke with sale prices still more expensive than Borders a couple of blocks away or Amazon), it was replaced by a Forever 21 located within a mile of two other locations. What a waste.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#9

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 10:16am

It sounds like the Union Square store is staying open, at least for now.

Virgin's a staple of my NYC trips, but have I actually bought a whole lot of stuff there? No. I do love their $10 sales and loved their import singles section before that evaporated, but their regular prices were too high. I could do better at Borders (w/ Borders reward card and coupons) or J & R.
#10

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 10:20am

Mister Matt is correct. It went from being a decent store to being a mess.

I remember one time I went there and they had the store closed because of "a record promotion event". I'm sure they received more money from that event than from my piddly $25, but insulting regular customers isn't a good business model.

I also went to Virgin in Union Square at Christmas looking for Faith Hill's Christmas album. Couldn't find it. Amazon had it for $9.95.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
#11

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 11:54am

I fear that the old-fashioned "record store" is facing its last days. Between Amazon, the Internet, MP3 players and the other marvels of technology (I'm being sarcastic), there just isn't the need for the stores any more. Twenty years ago, before Virgin even opened, you had Tower Records, HMV, Barnes and Noble, Liberty Records and even the remnants of the old Sam Goody's. One of the real joys of going to those places was that you could congregate with others who had the same interests as you did and deal with personnel who knew their stock. It's the same with book stores, alas. I know I'm showing my age, but IMO, those old stores were a lot more fun and a lot more interesting that Virgin was any day.
BroadwayEd

Updated On: 1/14/09 at 11:54 AM

#12

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 12:02pm

"It was poorly maintained (the bathrooms were revolting) and the excruciating volume was painful"

AGREED! I unfortunately had to use the bathroom.. and the choice was between there or MCdonalds.. so I chose Virgin Megastore, THINKING it might be decently better than McDoanlds... it was DISGUSTING
BUT, I do love their sales when I go up, so hopefully in March I can catch some good ones before they go out of business
#16

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 12:23pm

You can be sure I will frequent it while I am there in a week re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

This makes me sad.
"TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD"- LES MISERABLES--- "THERE'S A SPECIAL KIND OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS SHOW PEOPLE... WE'RE BORN EVERY NIGHT AT HALF HOUR CALL!"--- CURTAINS
#17

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 4:44pm

Mentioning bathrooms are those extravagant bathrooms still in Times Square, I mean the ones you pay for and I think you enter by a escalator?
#18

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 4:53pm

A Forever 21 is going to take over that gigantic space? And really they're going to be a store that's in practically mall in America (and probably other parts of the world) in one of the biggest tourist spots in the country? That doesn't seem like a must visit store for people how have the same thing at home.
#19

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 4:57pm

Didn't Disney buy it?
2008: Feb. 18- Rent, Feb. 19- Curtains, April 18- Xanadu, April 22- Wicked, April 26- Legally Blonde, May 31- Wicked, June 13- The Little Mermaid, June 28- Wicked and Young Frankenstein, July 2- The Little Mermaid, July 6- A Chorus Line and Legally Blonde, August 16- Xanadu, September 13- Legally Blonde and 13, September 28- Xanadu and Spring Awakening, Oct. 12-GYPSY and [title of show], Oct. 19- Hairspray & Legally Blonde, Nov. 9- Wicked and 13, Dec. 14-13, Dec. 26- Billy Elliot, 2009: Jan 1- Shrek, Jan 2- 13 and Wicked, Jan 4- 13, Feb 17- In The Heights, Feb 19- Billy Elliot, Feb 22- Sweeney Todd (tour), March 28- Mary Poppins, April 4- Mamma Mia!, April 15- Jersey Boys (on tour), April 25- next to normal & 9 to 5 May 1- Billy Elliot, May 3- Spelling Bee (tour), May 8- Chicago, May 21- Wicked, June 6- Everyday Rapture, June 23- The Wiz, June 25- Hair July 15- Shrek, August 9- Wicked, September 7- Rock of Ages, October 11- Next To Normal, October 23- The Marvelous Wonderettes, November 7- Ragtime November 29- Dreamgirls, December 25- Billy Elliot, December 30- Finian's Rainbow, 2010: January 9- Bye Bye Birdie, January 16- Memphis February 17- The Phantom of The Opera, February 18- God of Carnage, March 7- Billy Elliot, March 31- American Idiot
#20

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 6:01pm

>>Mentioning bathrooms are those extravagant bathrooms still in Times Square, I mean the ones you pay for and I think you enter by a escalator? <<

The charmin bathrooms? Yep, I remember seeing an individual in a TP outfit...

I've been to the store recently and was able to get the Mary Poppins for 50% off and Home for the Holidays for $7... but yeah, because I CAN get it cheaper as an mp3, why am I going to pay $18+ for a cd when I can get the songs for $10 off of iTunes!

But I was sad to see Tower go though but they are still online and sell stuff cheap.
I once heard someone describe her (Ruthie Henshall) singing as sounding as though she's trying to swallow a whole meatball slightly larger than her windpipe. (The same person compared Michael Ball's singing to sounding as though he's sitting on a washing machine on spin cycle and Colm Wilkinson's to a man with a paralyzed lip trying to eat cottage cheese.) --- Schmerg_The_Impaler
#21

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/14/09 at 6:12pm

The only bright spot will be the sales.

Another place I frequented closing. This is getting out of hand now.

The space is something like a white elephant. I cannot think of the new tenant succeeding, especially in todays economy.
Poster Emeritus
#24

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/15/09 at 10:18am

The Disney lease on 5th Ave is not up until 2010. I believe the Virgin store location was just one of the places they were looking at.
#25

re: Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

Posted: 1/15/09 at 10:25am

"The space is something like a white elephant. I cannot think of the new tenant succeeding, especially in todays economy."

The Tower Records in the East Village is still sitting empty. That's another white elephant space.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

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