ROTATE THIS 801 Queen West, 416-504-8447, www.rotate.com. Rating: NNNNN
ROTATE THIS 801 Queen West, 416-504-8447, www.rotate.com.
In the constant shuffle that characterizes retail life on Queen West these days, music and concert ticket one-stop shop Rotate This has jumped 181 addresses west. Taking over half of the former home of Songbird Music at Queen and Manning puts the store on the edge of the neighbourhood’s Trinity Bellwoods sweet spot.
Every once in a while, a good freshening up does a record store good. Deep orange walls and globe-shaded ceiling lights cast a comfy glow on bins of new and used vinyl and indie CDs. Oversized windows at the end of the extra deep room lure you through Rotate’s non-discriminatory tune picks (“Rotate This is an equal-genre retailer,” announces its website. “No classical or nu-country, however”).
Serious listeners who worry the move to a more polished block will mean a less authentic record store experience needn’t fear. That cocky music-shopkeeper manner is still intact, just the way you like it.
Rotate This picks: Tickets on sale for the NXNE weekend include Rough Trade and the Hidden Cameras at the Phoenix tonight (Thursday, June 12) for $25, and good ol’ festival wristbands to get you into whatever your ears desire for $29.
Look for: Former Queen West Suspect Video manager Daniel Hanna opening his own “video culture shop” called Eyesore upstairs.
Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 am to 7 pm, Friday 11 am to 8 pm, Saturday 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday noon to 6 pm.
