by jon » Mon Sep 24, 2012 9:39 am
The original store in downtown Toronto was nothing like the (mostly or all?) franchised "rest of the chain" of stores across Canada. The prices were better and the selection of vinyl LPs was several times greater at the downtown store.
The period of my visits was 1973-87. Based on that experience, I still have to say it was the best "record store" I ever visited. As well as price and selection, there was never an issue with the quality of vinyl, even if it had been in the store for a dozen or more years.
Compare that to Yellowknife where a couple of weeks in the summer sun warped LPs beyond recognition. In 1974, I got a bunch of us together to do mail order from A&B Sound based on Vancouver Province-advertised sales.