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Legendary Manny's Music to Close

Manny''s Music in NYC is set to close its doors this spring.

New York, NY (March 11, 2009) -- An era that spanned nearly 75 years will come to an end this spring when Manny’s Music closes its doors for the last time. The legendary guitar store that served everyone from Hendrix and the Beatles to Clapton and U2 is set to close in May.

Located on New York City’s Music Row, West 48th Street Manny’s opened in 1935 and has seen countless stars. The store’s walls are a testament to its history—they’re covered in framed, autographed glossies of the patrons who have passed through the doors.


photo ©Nicolas Debacker

Other stores on Music Row are feeling the squeeze as well, and some worry that it’s only a matter of time until the entire neighborhood is gone. In a March 2008 article in The Real Deal, a New York real estate magazine, Sam Ash President Paul Ash and Manny’s grandson Ian Goldrich both commented on the Rockefeller Group’s push to purchase the surrounding property. The Goldrich family still owns the building Manny’s is located in. “I get at least a call a day from someone who wants to buy the building,” Goldrich told The Real Deal.

The store was purchased by Sam Ash in 1999. Ash told Premier Guitar in June 2008 that the company purchased the store because it was having troubles, and they believed it was an institution that should be maintained. Manny’s grandson, Ian Goldrich, continued to run the store after Sam Ash’s purchase. Neither Ash nor Goldrich could be reached for comment.

For a look inside the legendary Manny’s Music, watch our video tour of the store from June 2008.