A chain of record stores in Canada, created by Sam Snyderman. Basically a bargain place to buy discs and tapes. Renowned for crappy, dilapidated stores. Somehow managed to be the first Canadian internet retailer of music.

There's one by Yonge and Dundas, in Toronto. Has a surprisingly vast collection of music, though the prices seem a bit steep (by American standards, and yes, I'm taking the currency difference into account). Through the whole of my sojourn through Pittsburgh and Toronto, this is the first record store in which I have found either Self or Sleater-Kinney albums, and this place has both. There were even some S-K discs that I can't find back in Portland, and really that's saying quite a lot. Worth checking out if you're looking for semi-rare music and don't mind paying the price for it.

The store's signs, by the way, are large and obnoxious. In bold type,

YES THIS IS
SAM
THE RECORD MAN

Just pretend they aren't there and it'll be OK.

Sam the Record Man is, no longer there. After 63 years or retailing music to Canadian's the chain has finally gone bust. Owing about $15 million dollars to creditors, and $8 million to the Sniderman family, the chain declaired bankruptcy late October, weeks before the prime Christmas season. Eleven franchised stores will be left un affected by the bankruptcy, but 30 corporate-owned stores will be set to liquadate. Competators include Music World Ltd., Sunrise Records, HMV Canada Ltd.