Sam the Record Man plays on

Over a decade after they were unplugged, Sam the Record Man’s famous neon turntables are once again lighting up downtown Toronto. On January 10, Ryerson University, the City of Toronto, and the Sniderman Family hosted the official lighting of the restored Sam the Record Man signs at 277 Victoria St.

The lighting ceremony (which followed a trial run of the refurbished signs over the holidays) brought local dignitaries and the Sniderman family to Yonge-Dundas Square. Speakers shared memories of the legendary store (whose flagship Toronto location was open at Yonge and Gould from 1961 to 2007) and saluted the legacy of founder Sam Sniderman.

“The Snidermans, like Ryerson University, are proud city-builders,” said Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi. “The family’s impact on Toronto is a legacy that will last forever. Their investment in downtown Toronto began decades ago—long before this was the centre of the city. I also learned from Bobby just how proud the family is in the role it has played in the evolution of the music industry in Canada.”

Toronto mayor John Tory recalled his experiences shopping at the store during its heyday. “I’m one of the people of a certain age here who very much remembers, as an important part of my young teenage life, Sam the Record Man. … It was a real adventure: you’d go into this place that had this character to it. It had the wooden floors and the little wooden bins full of the records with the little cardboard tabs telling you where the Beatles records were and where the Beach Boys were, and it was an adventure to be of a certain age where you were allowed to go to Sam’s by yourself and pick up that week’s hit record.”

Tory also cited the occasion as a chance to consider what “heritage” means to Toronto. “For somebody of my age, the Sam the Record Man store … and the entire history of Sam Sniderman in terms of music and how it was a part of our lives growing up, is very much a part of heritage. Especially in a young city, something that is 50, 60, 70 years ago is a large part of the lifetime of the city, and I think we’ve got to get better at acknowledging that.”

Josh Matlow, city councillor for Toronto-St. Paul’s, was a strong advocate for the sign’s restoration, and spoke to the importance of the store on the city’s life. “For two generations, kids like myself, kids like the mayor, and others came to downtown Toronto, and we saw these iconic spinning wheels, and it told us that we were somewhere. We were somewhere special,” said Matlow.

“People would visit our city and see these iconic spinning wheels and recognize that Toronto had something going on. There were new artists—Canadian artists—who didn’t always have the stage that others did, who found their starts at Sam the Record Man.”

In an emotional speech, Bobby Sniderman (son of Sam Sniderman) thanked the customers who made Sam the Record Man more than just a store. “It was the community of Toronto, and all of those across the country, that made Sam the Record Man a household name. Whether you were coming just to browse, shop, or shake hands with our father, it is your stories and memories that made and will preserve the legacy of Sam the Record Man for as long as these signs are illuminated.”

Sam the Record Man closed its location at 347 Yonge Street in 2007. The next year, Ryerson University acquired the site of the former store, now the location of the award-winning Student Learning Centre. Ryerson covered all costs of the storage, restoration, installation and ongoing maintenance of the signs.