We’ve noticed, as you surely have, that so many familiar parts of the past are gone, or almost gone, because of changing times: everything from buildings we thought of as landmarks, to styles of popular music, to businesses made obsolete by advancements in technology. So, we’re starting a blog category called “Changing Times” that will offer an occasional look at these changes. They’re certainly not all bad, and many are brilliantly wonderful, but some do cause us to wax nostalgic, at least for a little while. Like this one:
“Heidi Rogers has owned Frank Music company, New York City’s last classical sheet music store, for 36 years. On Friday (3/6), she will close her doors for the last time.
“This 78-year-old shop shares the tenth floor of a Midtown building with rehearsal spaces and studios. Inside, metal shelves crammed with yellowing sheet music tower behind the front desk. Fading photos and newspaper cartoons are taped to the walls. Purchases are tallied on an old-style adding machine.
“But while the shop does have an antiquated feel, its economic problems are grounded firmly in the present. Competition from online retailers has driven her fragile business into the red.”
Read more, see many more photos, and listen to a story on WNYC News. Read more and hear another story on All Things Considered/NPR.
