Virgin Megastore Times Sq- 'Must Close Soon'

[MamasDoin'Fine]

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

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

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/14/09 at 6:44am

Century 21...like the real estate agency? What kind of a store would they have?

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 1/14/09 at 6:52am

LOl its the discount clothing and home store. They have a huge one at the site of the World Trade Centre.

[sybil7]

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

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 1/14/09 at 7:01am

I swear I never ever went in there and didn't buy something!

[DryMartini]

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.

[Mamie]

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?

[Mister Matt]

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.

[broadwayjim42]

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.

[Gothampc]

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.

[Ed_Mottershead]

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.

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

[Pianolin717]

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

[DrewBill]

Posted: 1/14/09 at 12:07pm

Billboard Magazine, in reporting the Virgin Megastore closure, is also reporting that the women's apparel store Forever 21 -- not Century 21 -- will be taking over the spot in Times Square.

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i4b1f65d43468689942aa9c43b06cc29f

[nealb1]

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

This is beyond depressing...............makes no sense at all!

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 1/14/09 at 12:20pm

And asking for anything from the sales assistants is a no no.

[EponineAmneris]

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

You can be sure I will frequent it while I am there in a week

This makes me sad.

[Phantom of London]

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?

[frogs_fan85]

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.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

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

Didn't Disney buy it?

[LotteTBS138]

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.

[Mr Roxy]

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.

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 1/14/09 at 6:13pm

Forever 21 is only taking the ground floor.

[Winston3]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 4:42am

Whatever happened to the sotories about Disney wanting that space as the new home to their World Of Disney store.

[Rotel1026]

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.

[Gothampc]

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.