Defunct music stores

[VicHockeyFan]

Darn, they must not have seen the new technology coming (cassette tapes). 8)



And the bikini store in the same mall is having a "retirement sale"... not sure if that's a sale on old person's swimsuits, or a sign they are closing too.

What's next? The miniature store in Market Square closes?

http://www.miniland.ca/About.html

[Lover Fighter]

Goldy was shut down a month ago.
I've been trying to figure out what happened to all the merch.

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by Lover Fighter

Goldy was shut down a month ago.
I've been trying to figure out what happened to all the merch.

OK, I hadn't noticed. :? (edit) :wink:

[Lover Fighter]

For the first couple of weeks, it was just sitting there with a sign that read "new stock on Tuesday" but it was closed the entire time. It's only been more recent when it was actually emptied out.

[Jada]

Goldy's Music.. which record shop was that?

And this is my latest purchase...

[Holden West]

I couldn't have describe you better myself!

Goldy's was in that horrible little semi-underground strip mall beneath that 80s lowrise tower on the corner of Douglas and Pandora. You know, the complex that is patrolled by security on the second floor in case someone actually dares to enter it.

Shall we turn this thread into "Old Record Stores That Have Faded Away, Gone Bankrupt Or Have Otherwise Disappeared Off Victoria's Streets"?

[VicHockeyFan]

^ Sure! Remember Kelly's back in the early 80's? I think it became a Sony Store. It seems to me it was in the 700-blk Yates then moved onto Douglas.

[Holden West]

^You're very close. Here's a snapshot of the scene around 25 years ago:

In addition to the venerable A&B Sound, the 700 block Yates was the place to look for (and comparison shop) records. Kelly's records was somewhere around the Mozart lot on Yates. Further up Yates, somewhere around where the post office extension is now was Millers. They mainly focused on audio products but they did sell records and tapes as well. Miller's became Miller's The Sony Store and eventually moved to Douglas St. between Yates and Johnson and later dropped the Miller's name completely.

Kelly's closed in the 80s and became a Circuit City for a few years. It was vacant for many years before being torn down to make way for the stalled Mozart building.

Lyle's place moved onto Yates from its original location at Menzies and Simcoe in the early 80s.

Modern Sounds records was on Fort St. where Stevenson's Shoe Clinic is now. Richards Records was where Roberta's Hats is on Gov't. They specialized in Jazz and Blues.

You can imagine the competition between all these independents and small local chains was incredible. People had no problem crossing the street to save ten cents on that new Men at Work or Cheap Trick LP. Combine that with the similar competition in Vancouver (A&B, Kelly's and I think either A&A or Sam's were nearby on Seymour?) and you had a music buyers dream.

So, for quite a while Victoria had the best music prices in the world. In many cases, half the cost or less of other cities (and that's not even including the cost of living differences). It wasn't until the 90s when eastern competition pushed prices to levels seen in the rest of Canada and North America.

[VicHockeyFan]

^ Miller's, that's right! I used to go in, they had the 45s (singles) arranged by the top-40 that week. Usually the b-side of the single was a song that was NOT on the album the single came from, that made it more valuable.

Music was cheap here. I used to shake my head when I saw people buying at Sam the Record Man in Hillside Mall - A&B was 30% cheaper on everything.

OK, here's one. Back in the late 80's or early 90's there was a music store in University Heights Mall called Stages.

[aastra]

A&B Sound and Kelly's...that was our weekend pilgrimage.

When did Miller's - The Sony Store finally drop the Miller's part? I think it was still Miller's - The Sony Store when I bought my first receiver.

There was also a good jazz store on Johnson in the early 1990s or so. I don't know if it's still there.

[Holden West]

The Miller's name disappeared sometime in the early 90s I think. Wasn't it where that cheap luggage store is now? Or maybe the former chicken shack. Damn, that strip of Douglas has gone downhill.

The jazz/blues store on lower Johnson was Sweet Thunder records. I think it was where the soap store is/was.

[Holden West]

Wow:

A&B Sound closes last Island store
Millstream Village outlet had been open a short time

Times Colonist
Published: Monday, September 01, 2008
Music retailer A&B Sound abruptly closed its last store on Vancouver Island on Saturday, marking the end of an era for a once-mighty B.C. retail icon.

The company's Langford store at the Millstream Village shopping centre sat locked and shuttered yesterday.

more...

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by Holden West

Wow:

A&B Sound closes last Island store
Millstream Village outlet had been open a short time

Times Colonist
Published: Monday, September 01, 2008
Music retailer A&B Sound abruptly closed its last store on Vancouver Island on Saturday, marking the end of an era for a once-mighty B.C. retail icon.

The company's Langford store at the Millstream Village shopping centre sat locked and shuttered yesterday.

more...

Wow, that is sad, I guess. But things happen, things change.

[Holden West]

I have absolutely no idea how this could've happened.

Oh, hang on, I have to recharge my iPod, be right back.

[martini]

Oh for Pete's sake. I just posted a thread about A&B.
Sorry

[Holden West]

My fault, this probably wasn't the best thread for me to post it in, but I try not to have too many threads. Maybe we can title this defunct music stores.

[martini]

Originally Posted by Holden West

My fault, this probably wasn't the best thread for me to post it in, but I try not to have too many threads. Maybe we can title this defunct music stores.

Haha, there's a plan.
I also wondered what Goldy's rent was there!
Tougher tougher market dealing with the big boys.
That frustrates me too.

Just need my thread deleted. Mod!

WOW, I heard this on the radio this morning, I took a weekend hiatus from the forum...I can't count how many lineups for boxing day I lined up with A&B downtown...I personally don't really believe that the complete demise of A&B around here can be attributed to the likes of Future Shop. There are many specialty music and electronics stores that are surviving and thriving, I think it can be attributed to a classic, eyes bigger than the stomach routine. If A&B had focused more on higher end or harder to get electronics instead of just going with the flow, I'm sure they'd be doing just fine. I know for a fact there are a couple specialty stores in town, that do more sales and volumes in their respective departments than some BC chains do in an entire year in varying electronics, and that comes in a tightening market to specializing and building a core and loyal customer base, I know over the years with A&B I experience crappy service, poor product replacement or service and that eventually drove me away...

[gumgum]

I guess all those people saying A&B's move was purely an indication of a poor d/t economy were wrong. A&B was just a poor economy.

[yodsaker]

What surprised me was how short a time they lasted out in L'ford. I saw their point about the downtown store having space problems plus the usual d'town parking hassles but I guess their bottom line was sicker than thought.
I think much of the blame can be laid to the record companies giving people 1 or 2 decent tracks and making them pay for 10 other tracks of filler crap. Greedy dinosaurs not paying attention!

[Bernard]

I am not surprised in the least. From 1980 to 1996 I spent about $500 a year at A and B. This dropped off as I moved to Lillooet and had kids.

In the last years I have not bought CDs for the same reason a lot of us stopped buying them - we have MP3 players.

For years A&B caused Vancouver record, and later CD, prices to be 33% lower than elsewhere. The family shrewdly got out of the market at the right time.

One reason they could compete so well is that they kept their overheads very low. When A&B was a private family company they had no debts and paid no rent. The bought each and every building outright with retained earnings. This is also why the company only expanded slowly.

[G-Man]

I buy CD's and put them on my MP3 players, I can't be the only one...

[gumgum]

^You also use clocktowers as a means of keeping track of time, so there you go.

[G-Man]

Tru enough.

[sebberry]

I think that a lot of consumers have been brainwashed into believing that the big box stores like Future Shop have better prices all the time. I work at a small computer shop in Langford and I regularly get customers who come in thinking that they will always get a better deal at Future Shop. In many cases I can match FS prices unless they have a sale where they are selling goods below cost.

A&B Sound never really had the buying power that allowed them to employ the same underhanded techniques that the major retailers use, and this hurts the bottom line.

As for mainstream/specialy products, I am seeing more consumers looking for more features and value than pure quality. Yes there are specialty stores that are doing well, but it is going to take a lot to get a regular Sound Hounds customer to buy the same product at A&B.

IIRC, A&B used to sell some fairly high-end products and slowly became more mainstream. Most things that A&B carried, Future Shop carried too. Perhaps under a rebranded model name for big box, but it was there.

I don't blame big box solely for A&B's demise, however the same mentality that allows more Future Shops, Best Buys, Mega Wal-marts, etc... to come into our communities also allows homegrown Canadian retailers to struggle.

It's going to be interesting to see how Madman Mckay will do at their new location in Colwood.