On Saturday, store manager Manny Kool told CL that 2018 was Daddy Kool Records’ best year in business. The revenue, however, was not enough to keep up with the rising rent on downtown St. Petersburg’s 600 Block — and that’s why the shop is closing the doors on its location at 666 Central Avenue on March 31.
According to a post on its website, the shop’s next chapter will begin on Record Store Day 2019 (April 13) when it reopens in St. Petersburg’s Warehouse (2430 Terminal Dr., to be exact).
“We are very fortunate to have landed where we did,” Kool told CL when asked about the shop’s new home. “The owners of the building support the arts [and] are community focused.”
Kool would not disclose the cost of the record shop’s 600 Block rent in comments for a late 2018 story about the closure of 600 Block live music Fubar, but a listing for 666 Central Avenue had a price of $45-$50 per square foot.
While the new space does look promising (it’s larger and will be able to host live music), the end of this era is sad news for Daddy Kool Records. The shop started in Bradenton in 1985 and has been a presence in the neighborhood since 1999, when its first St. Petersburg location opened just down the street from the State Theatre (which is currently in the midst of a prolonged renovation). The current, larger flagship store has been a long-running, essential stop for local music lovers looking to find new music or see local bands.
Ironically, the news also comes in the same week that St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman announced an ordinance to help maintain what he described as the “unique vibe & flavor of Central Ave.”
“We can grow our economy but not lose our identity in the process,” Kriseman wrote on Twitter. OK.
Presenting storefront corridor plan to council's Cmte of Whole. It's an ordinance/tool kit to help maintain the unique vibe & flavor of Central Ave. We can grow our economy but not lose our identity in the process. Best part: Its the product of community dialogue. #SunShinesHere
— Rick Kriseman (@Kriseman) January 31, 2019
Kool has marked down a large percentage of his shop’s inventory, which includes roughly 6500 new CDs, 8000 new pieces of vinyl and 2000 used records.
“[That’s] along with all the stuff that you accumulate when you have been open for 30 years,” Kool added. “We are going to be closed for about three weeks in order to make the move and do it right.”
The final 666 Central Ave. sidewalk sales happen on February 23 and March 23.
This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 7, 2019.