Bobby Robinson (seen above) at Bobby's Happy House, his record store in Harlem. The shop will have to move early next year, and Mr. Robinson is not sure he will find a new location that he can afford.
Bobby Robinson sat in a lawn chair in the Harlem record store he opened before R & B music got its name, speaking softly about days of old and of an uncertain future, his strong face barely betraying his 90 years of life.
Around him, family members and friends chatted about topics ranging from food to Barack Obama. One person sat in a chair reading a newspaper, another sat on a cooler drinking a can of beer with a straw, yet another ate a slice of pizza.
And in a span of roughly two hours, the store had only three customers, who browsed the selection of gospel, jazz and soul records, cassettes and CDs. Only one made a purchase.
With computerized music in full swing, Mr. Robinson's store, Bobby's Happy House, which he opened in 1946, is hardly about selling records, cassettes or CDs anymore. It has become a landmark of Harlem's black heritage and a place that residents of the neighborhood can call home.
"It's a positive place," said Josephine Bush, 55, who grew up with Mr. Robinson's daughter and often spends time at the shop. "It's just comfortable. You can come in and relax."
But because Mr. Robinson's store is no longer lucrative, it may succumb to Harlem's growing corporate landscape. This summer, the building that houses Bobby's was sold to a development partnership of the Kimco Realty Corporation and the Sigfeld Group. Mr. Robinson was asked to leave by the end of last month.
Some neighbors held a rally on his behalf, and then his lawyer helped arrange a deal last week that will let him stay until early next year and receive money from the new management group for his move. The new owners did not return several phone calls seeking an interview.
Even if Mr. Robinson finds a new location, however, the market rates for commercial space in Harlem, and throughout Manhattan, could make it difficult for the store to survive, said Denise Benjamin, Mr. Robinson's daughter, who now runs the store.
"I'm concerned that we may not be able to reopen anywhere," Ms. Benjamin said.
"And I'm really concerned about him because it's his life work," she said of her father.
Mr. Robinson came to Harlem and opened his store after serving in the Army in Hawaii. He was originally on 125th Street, at the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard. Nearly 20 years ago, he was forced around the corner and onto Frederick Douglass by the advent of a Kentucky Fried Chicken branch.
Even with that move, Mr. Robinson had the same landlord, a friend who Ms. Benjamin said gave him a good deal on rent. When that building owner died, his daughter took over and continued to charge Mr. Robinson a manageable rent.
Ms. Benjamin said they now pay $2,850 a month for about 1,200 square feet, which is the equivalent of $28.50 per square foot per year. Retail space in Harlem is generally going for $75 to $200 per square foot per year, according to separate estimates by Shimon Shkury, a managing partner at Massey Knakal Realty Services, and CB Richard Ellis, a brokerage firm.
Of course, Mr. Robinson could move out of Harlem, but that would be less than desirable. For one thing, Mr. Robinson is widely believed to be the first black business owner on 125th Street — a distinction that his new landlords agreed to note in a plaque at the site of his original storefront. He has also lived within walking distance of his store since it opened.
"Harlem is my home," he said. "It always sets me apart as the first colored man to ever own a store on 125th Street. That's my big thing."
Indeed, some people believe that Harlem without Bobby's would not be the same.
The store is a stop on Hush Tours, which takes people for a close look at the Hip-Hop culture in Harlem and the Bronx. Debra Harris, who owns the tour company, said the visit to Bobby's helps people gain a sense of the roots of Hip-Hop:
Mr. Robinson produced records for several performers under *his own labels.
*Bobby was the founder of ENJOY RECORDS: Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, The Funky Four Plus One More, Spoonie Gee (Robinson's nephew), Kool Moe Dee with the Treacherous Three, Doug E. Fresh, and others. - Ace:)
"With that being gone, it's really, really going to hurt the community and the preservation of the roots of hip-hop," Ms. Harris said, "because he's like one of the last Mohicans up there."
For the moment, however, Mr. Robinson, who was dressed in a suit with a top hat and snakeskin shoes, seems to be proceeding with the unruffled demeanor of a man who has lived his life note by note.
"I've had a great life so far," he said.
