Slipped Disc returns to Valley Stream for a day

When Sip This co-owners David Sabatino and Stephanie Pontillo were looking for places in 2011 to open up a coffee shop together, they had never considered it would be located in the same Rockaway Avenue space as the former vinyl record and CD shop it currently occupies.

“We always thought of it as Slipped Disc,” Sabatino said of the legendary record store that after 26 years in business closed its doors for good in 2008, and had lay dormant since.

But upon checking out the location, they were sold, and visited Slipped Disc owner Mike Schutzman to ask if they could name the shop Sip This in homage.

“We didn’t want to do it without Mike’s blessing,” Sabatino said.

And although Sip This has become a hot spot for residents and local artists alike to gather and grab a cup of coffee or bite to eat, on Feb. 10, Slipped Disc returned for a day to the location in pop-up shop form.

“When you see a crowd like this, and you’ve been gone 11 years, it’s really humbling to see how much people still care,” Schutzman said of the dozens of visitors who came to browse his collection of vinyl records and merchandise.

Slipped Disc still lives on in website form, Schutzman said, where he sells records and merchandise. He also runs vinyl shows in Garden City, Queens and Brooklyn primarily geared towards record collectors.

Sunday, however, was the second time Schutzman brought Slipped Disc back to its original location, and he said he was glad to see many of his old customers return.

“We made a lot of friends in this store, without a doubt,” he said.

Because of continued demand, Schutzman and Pontillo said they plan on having Slipped Disc come back sometime this summer, although a date has not yet been confirmed.