Bed-Stuy Customers FIRST Excellent Service Award Winner - Birdel's Tapes and Records

    In an age where one can buy and illegally download music off the Internet, get fake CDs from bootleg producers and shop for music at big box chains, it would seem that there really isn’t any more room for the independent record store. But on Bed-Stuy’s Nostrand Avenue, one independent record store is still going strong after sixty-two, yes 62 years - Birdel’s Tapes and Records at 535 Nostrand Avenue, and you have voted this business the winner of the first Bed-Stuy Customers FIRST Excellent Service Award.
    Ben and Bertie Steiner first opened the doors of Birdel’s Tapes and Records to Bedford Stuyvesant in 1944. The name Birdel’s is a combination of Ben Steiner’s wife’s name, Bertie, and his daughter Della. In 1957, a local young music enthusiast by the name of Hardy Long started working in Ben Steiner’s record shop. When the Steiner’s retired in 1967, young Hardy bought the shop and has kept it open to this day. Mr. Long, who most in the community now know as Joe, still owns Birdel’s and is also the current president of the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association (FNUMA).

 

 

    Through word of mouth and great service, people have come from all over New York City, and even the world, to buy records at Birdel’s. Why? Because walking into this shop from Nostrand Avenue is like taking a trip back to the height of the independent record shop days when the staff knew all of the latest bands and performers, had a sense of what you might like and introduced you to the latest and greatest sounds.

    In the survey conducted in December 2005, 80% of the respondents rated Birdel’s as giving its customers the best possible customer service experience out of a field of 25 other businesses that are members of FNUMA. Survey respondent S. Johnson of Bed-Stuy said: “Birdel’s staff know what you want even if you don't know what you want!!” Another survey respondent, C. Turner, said that Birdel’s has “very good service. Prices are also good and (Birdel’s) sells nice products.” S. Smalls from Brooklyn even said that “sometimes (she) doesn’t know the artist, but she’ll hum a few bars and Birdel’s will know who it is she’s looking for.”

    Behind much of the excellent customer service at Birdel’s is DJ Master Joe Love who has worked at Birdel’s for over ten years. Because of his expert knowledge of the hundreds of thousands of records in stock at the store, he is able to give each of Birdel’s customers personalized and knowledgeable service. It was because of his personal service with each and every one of his customers that so many ballots came in nominating Birdel’s for this award. In addition to DJ Master Joe Love, you’ll also find the store’s venerable owner, Hardy “Joe” Long and his brother Isaac, who are still at it after thirty-eight years of running Brooklyn’s number 1 soul shop. So if there is a record you’ve been wanting to buy, why not give Birdel’s Tapes and Records a try? Birdel’s is at 535 Nostrand Avenue at Herkimer Place. Congratulate them for service well done.

    The first runner up for the Excellent Service Award was First Vision Optical at 529 Nostrand Avenue and second runner up was Yuna Beauty Supply at 1496 Fulton Street. Thanks for all of your votes and continue to shop on Fulton Street-Nostrand Avenue

Comments

[Jeb Archer]

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