Store gallery: Rough Trade opens second store in iconic New York City building

The new 4,000 sq ft unit is situated on the underground rink level of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, with the new store dubbed “Rough Trade Below”.

It adds to the existing 2,000 sq ft street-level shop in the same building, recently rebranded as Rough Trade Above.

The upstairs unit focuses on new vinyl arranged by genre and alphabetised, while the lower level has new releases arranged by theme.

A huge part of the new underground space is a section for used vinyl. Customers can listen to tracks before purchasing, as well as sell their own records.

It also sells pop culture merchandise such as T-shirts, posters and books, as well as space for author Q&As and signings.

Rough Trade Below has the capacity for 300 people to attend live music performances, and improvement on the 75 capacity in the store above.

A natural sloping floor allows for clearer views and a semi-permanent stage can roll in out for the store to change its layout.

Signings are held upstairs, and for live performances the walls have been covered in acoustic paneling and light-absorbing paint for better sound quality.

Rough Trade director and co-owner Stephen Godfroy said at the time of opening: “It’s clear that the ethos of Rough Trade – to narrow the gap between artist and audience – has struck a tremendous chord here in New York.

“Creating an even larger mecca for the music lover is an exciting prospect, especially for our intimate live events, where the world’s most exciting artists perform in-store for the admission of purchasing their new album.

“Creating a focus of counterculture in midtown Manhattan has thankfully proved to be a wildly successful move, and we look forward to creating an even stronger creative community as the year progresses.”