Spring Break
The Daily OrangeSound Garden relocates within dowtown Armory Square
By Dan Kaplan
Posted: 11/19/08, 1:24 AM EST Section: News
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The store still sells music magazines, along with new and used CDs, DVDs and vinyl records. The store celebrated its grand reopening Tuesday at its new location, 310 W. Jefferson St. in Armory Square.
"We just outgrew the space we were in," store manager Ron Cicoria said. "On Walton Street, it's very difficult to park. We found this space, and it has a parking lot. It was a perfect fit."
Employees spent the last few days moving all of the store's goods to the new shop, in a lower-traffic area across from the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology. The move culminated more than a year's worth of planning for relocation, Cicoria said.
Cicoria said the move was driven by the store's plans to expand its inventory to include more vinyl records and, for the first time, video games. The management staff had considered a new location on Erie Boulevard, but decided to stay in Armory Square.
"We wanted to stay downtown to stay true to our core of customers that we've already built," he said.
The store wasn't quite ready for its official reopening Tuesday. As employees continued to stock shelves and put up posters after 48 hours of work, the customer turnout was limited. But those in attendance were generally satisfied with the move.
Tommy Gambocarto, a Syracuse-based DJ and customer at the Sound Garden for the past five years, said he was pleased with the move and would continue to support the store.
"It was nice. I didn't have to walk up those stairs anymore," he said. "It's bigger, and they're going to have video games, so that's cool."
The Sound Garden's new location lies tucked away at the end of West Jefferson Street, the last store before a dead end. At the head of the street, traffic signs falsely claim "Road closed," and
"Do not enter." But Cicoria and Jan Minney, owner of the Sound Garden's new neighboring shop, Jan's Addiction, have already begun working together to bring some life back to their end of the street. As the Sound Garden staff unpacked Sunday, Minney put up a joint Jan's Addiction/Sound Garden sign at the nearest intersection to draw attention to the two shops.
"When I heard they were moving in, I couldn't ask for a better neighbor," Minney said. "I can't wait for things to get going. I wish they'd tried to get in sooner."
The Sound Garden proved to be more of a typical day at the shop than a "grand" opening Tuesday afternoon. The store plans on having a formal celebration next week. Cicoria said the new location should keep the Sound Garden a reputable store in the independent music community.
"We consider ourselves a landmark," he said. "We owe it all to our great customer base. It keeps growing, and we want people to keep spreading the word. We're happy to still be in the Square for sure, and we're confident that this was the right move for us."
sdkaplan@syr.edu
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