What started as a single storefront had evolved into an entire block completely dedicated to the Sam the Record Man store.

[2] The Information Age, competition with the HMV chain and other factors, forced Sam the Record Man into bankruptcy in 2001, but its flagship location remained in business until 2007.

On the far right was a neon multi-sectioned triangle similar to the one on top of the Canada Life Building, which indicated weather conditions depending on how it was blinking.

[15] Steeles' Tavern at 349 Yonge Street closed in 1974 and the building was acquired by Sniderman in the early 1980s; however, the ground floor was rented out to a stereo equipment store.

After cutting access doorways through the walls to the existing store, the second floor became the CD department and a greatly reduced-in-size Bargain Basement.

[15] The chain branched out into computer software and games in the mid-1990s and a new department, Sam The Interactive Man, was created on the now-adjoined and renovated third floors to house it.

The renovations comprised the creation of doorways from the CIBC building into the classical annex, the addition of stairs and a mezzanine which became the new location for Sam The Interactive Man.

Huge outdoor video screens were installed by an advertising firm on the (rented) lower portions of the roof of the former CIBC building.

Much of this work was redecoration of the sales areas in terms of painting, lighting, flooring, and the inclusion of vintage fixtures such as a bar with mirrors, a wood-and-glass display cabinet, and a barbershop counter/mirror.

The former classical annex was transformed into a new DVD department, complete with a chandelier, theatrical spotlights, drapes, popcorn machine, 5.1 sound system, video monitors, neon sign, and theatre marquee.

[16] When the Sam the Record Man chain was forced into bankruptcy in 2001, Sniderman's sons Jason and Robert ("Bobby") took over the flagship store.

Recent examples include the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, which features the signs prominently during the final battle sequences, and the CTV/CBS series Flashpoint, which is set in Toronto.

Shoppers would line up over many city blocks, in the cold, to get one-day-only specially discounted (20%–25%) records, and eventually, as the technology changed, CDs, and videos.

Some of the walls bore autographs and photographs of various musicians and celebrities (among them Elton John, Iggy Pop, Bruce Springsteen, Liberace, Tony Bennett, Charles Aznavour) who had visited the store.

[18] The chain stores were early promoters of Canadian artists, because they prominently featured their work with in-store displays, and concerts.

Well-known Canadian artists like Loreena McKennitt, Barenaked Ladies, k d lang, Cowboy Junkies, and Ron Sexsmith had their first recordings stocked or consigned at the Yonge Street flagship store, then later throughout the chain.

[20] In addition to stocking (and later purchasing) the complete catalogue of the Canadian Talent Library broadcast music (see entries for Chad Allan, Jackie Mittoo, Dr. Music, Peter Appleyard), the flagship store also received copies of every LP record released in Quebec, making it the best source for French Canadian recordings outside of the province of Quebec.

This building was demolished and became a parking lot in the late 1990s after record companies agreed to direct ship orders to the franchise stores, thus rendering the need for a central warehouse redundant.

One of the features in the magazine was a picture of a commissioned work of art (painting, collage, sculpture) by a local artist (among them Mendelson Joe and Kurt Swinghammer) depicting the store or brand.

[18] In 2001, tough competition, narrow margins, and the availability of free music downloads from the Internet, forced the chain to declare bankruptcy.

[20] The Sniderman family was underwriting the chain's debt of $15 million for the previous five years and finally could not continue to lose money.

[22] On May 29, 2007, Jason and Bobby Sniderman announced that the iconic flagship store, on Toronto's Yonge and Gould Streets, would close permanently on June 30, 2007.

The site sat vacant for several months before the spinning records were lit again at Nuit Blanche on October 4, 2008, although Ryerson owned the building at the time.

[4][5][29][30][31] Under a heritage preservation deal with the city, Ryerson University was expected to restore the spinning record signs and incorporate them into the new Student Learning Centre on the former Sam's site.

[32] In July 2014, city council approved a revised agreement with Ryerson, whereby the university would pay to install and maintain the sign atop a city-owned building at 277 Victoria St., two blocks southeast of the original location.

[2][33] In July 2017, Ryerson announced that restoration of the almost half-century-old neon signs had started in June, and they would be ready for display over Yonge-Dundas Square in the fall.