New York City’s hottest underground music scene has sprung up below Rockefeller Center.

Indie record shop Rough Trade debuted a secondary location on the Rink Level of 30 Rockefeller Plaza this week, adding a new 4,000-square-foot space dubbed Rough Trade Below to its existing 2,000-square-foot street-level shop of the same building, now rebranded as Rough Trade Above.

“Rather than open another store somewhere else in the city, we felt that we shouldn’t follow convention and just go bigger where we are,” director and co-owner Stephen Godfroy tells The Center Magazine. “Even though the second store is very close in proximity, it’s a different world.”

Now, the upstairs location focuses on new vinyl, arranged by genre and then alphabetically. The lower-level store also has some new releases, but they’re displayed by theme, like classic New York albums. But a major part of the new space is a used vinyl section, where shoppers can listen to tracks before purchasing, as well as sell their own records.

While indie at heart, what makes the shop so irresistible is its wide appeal. “Our customers are so diverse, [in] age group and taste, but the one thing that unifies everyone is that they're curious of mind,” he says. “If you love culture and celebrating artistic self-expression, this store will effectively provide New Yorkers [with] an amazing hub.”

That’s what makes Rough Trade so much more than just another shop; Godfroy sees it as a “destination store” because “event programming is really at the heart of what we do as a retailer.”

That’s clear the moment you step through the doors at the Above shop and spot the photo booth to the right with black-and-white four-frame images from a diverse slate of musicians lining the wall: Lady Gaga, Megan Thee Stallion, Coldplay, Pixies, Sabrina Carpenter, Dirty Heads, LL Cool J, Sneaky Reeky, Japanese Breakfast, Lutalo, and Gwen Stefani, among them.

After all, unlike other stores with seasonal product changes, new records are released weekly, creating a constant flow of artists looking to promote their releases with in-store signings and performances. Despite the tight layout of the Above shop on the corner of 49th Street and Sixth Avenue, it’s been hosting events regularly since its opening in 2021, with lines often streaming down the area streets.

“It's wonderful when you have a show which kind of defies its location,” Godfroy says, recalling hardcore punk band Incendiary’s show, where people were diving off the counter and the singer was carried across the crowd and even out above the sidewalk briefly.

But the tight space means that those iconic moments have been limited to a capacity of 75 music fans, crowded into the space around the counter and shelves.

Rough Trade Below will quadruple the capacity to 300 people, with a natural sloping floor that allows for prime viewpoints, even from the back. A semi-permanent stage can easily roll in and out, as can the product shelves, in order for the shop to do a quick change into a pop-up venue, keeping that low-key vibe.

“We’re all about creating experiences and celebrating the art form in a way that’s true and authentic,” Godfroy says of building the multi-faceted space. “It's so magical when you see the joy from the artists and the audience because they both feed off each other. Neither is used to that kind of intimacy, and it creates a unifying moment of sheer delight. That’s what makes these in-store events so special.”

To ensure the best experiences, the walls have been covered in acoustic paneling and light-absorbing paint to create an elevated sound quality at the new location, where the performances will be shifted, while signings will continue to be held upstairs. Godfroy’s favorite aspect of the events is that every single one is for all ages, ensuring families have access to a live music experience together.

The photo booth tradition also continues Below with a separate machine that takes retro-style color photos, reminiscent of those from the 1970s.

The new space also sells pop culture merchandise, from T-shirts and posters to a broad range of books, opening the door for author Q&As and signings. In a fitting collaboration, Rough Trade has even teamed up with arthouse film production company A24 as the exclusive brick-and-mortar retailer for its collectibles, as well as books and films. “Music permeates so many other aspects of culture, and film is absolutely one of those,” Godfroy says.

He’s also excited that the store directly faces foot traffic exiting from the 47-50 Rockefeller Center subway stop and a series of pathways linking to adjacent buildings. “When you’re walking on the sidewalk in New York, stores are on your right or your left, very rarely are you walking right at it, like you are here,” he said. “You cannot miss this store!”

Doubling down on Rockefeller Center as its New York City hub may seem like a surprising choice for the brand that was born out of West London’s punk scene in 1976 by founder Geoff Travis. Since then, it’s also spawned a record label that’s home to The Smiths, Arcade Fire, Alabama Shakes, and My Morning Jacket, as well as growing to seven shops throughout the UK, one in Berlin, and now two in New York.

Rough Trade’s presence at 30 Rockefeller Plaza has been a crucial element of rebranding what people think of the area. “We’re an agent of change, helping make this place cool, and that’s really satisfying,” he said. “We're very glad to be able to defy expectations of what people feel that you should be doing.”

Rough Trade actually made its New York debut in a more expected setting in Williamsburg in 2013 with a 15,000 square-foot warehouse space, including a performance venue, that featured interiors made from old shipping containers. But as the years went by, it was clear that the more indie-minded neighborhood’s foot traffic was limited to nights and weekends, and getting out there for events was inconvenient being off the L train.

“At the same time, vinyl was becoming more popular and moving into the mainstream once again, and we felt this disconnect between this growing market and being kept in a bubble,” Godfroy says. When they started looking across the river, the Lower East Side and Bowery felt like the best match for the brand’s vibe.

But when they pulled back, they realized there simply wasn’t any major retailer predominantly selling new music, which felt like a missed opportunity in a market like New York City. Serendipitously, Rockefeller Center had been searching for stores that could help it reconnect with people who live and work in New York.

“If we were to open in Bushwick, we’re just another independent store there—it’s like wallpaper,” he says. “We felt that being a company that's defiantly and rebelliously independent, there can’t be anything more independent and defiant than to relocate to Rockefeller Center.”

Being such a prominent part of the area has also allowed Rough Trade to showcase its offerings in iconic spots like the Rainbow Room and Center Plaza, where it will be hosting iNDIEPLAZA again on Saturday, April 12, for Record Store Day with a concert featuring The Hives, Scowl, Clipping., Pachyman, Zsela, Lifeguard, and Slipper, as well as DJ sets by Chanel Beads, Yuno, Confines + Ohaileigh (Saint Vitus) starting at 12 noon. Last year’s event brought in 89,000 people throughout the day.

Rough Trade’s shops will also open at 9am on Saturday to sell Record Store Day’s coveted limited-edition releases. Other Rockefeller Center vendors will also be part of the festival, with Cool Sips, Glace, Puya Tacos de Puebla, La Maison du Chocolat, and City Winery serving food and beverages.

“It's a privilege to be able to represent the record label and artists community in such a busy eye-of-the-storm area and to be able to reach such a wide and diverse audience,” Godfroy says. “We're very lucky that Rockefeller Center appreciates us as an active ingredient and empowers us to grow.”

Rough Trade Above is open daily from 10am to 8pm at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on 6th Avenue; Rough Trade Below is open daily from 9am to 8pm just underneath on the Rink Level.