End of an Era for Music Fans
Very sad news: Yesterday a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Tower Records to Great American Group, which is moving with shocking speed to liquidate and close all Tower stores. The liquidation sale begins today, just one day after the sale was approved.
This summer I took the above photo of Tower's beautiful new store at Buena Park Mall, which replaced their longtime, rather dilapidated, location on Beach Boulevard. I had hoped the store's new location boded well for the chain.
It's a disappointing day. I've shopped at Tower my entire lifetime, and especially enjoyed heading over there in November to scout out new Christmas music. Now Tower is part of my life's "Yesterland."
Thanks for the memories...
posted by Laura @ 11:30 AM
4 Comments:
Awwww.... Lots of good memories there.
Laura
That's interesting. I think I've only been to the Towers Records near me in the Chicago suburbs two or three times. It's a complete teenage hangout. You walk in and the music is loud, hard/acid rock and there are pockets of teenagers just hanging around. But if there's a sale... ;-)
That beautiful store in Buena Park just opened to huge fanfare and hoopla and now a huge "CLOSING" banner is strewn across the roof before the first scuff marks on the floor. Amazing, and sad, especially for the over-40 crowd that really patronized the store over the years. (The Sunset Strip Tower is legendary.) What I really liked about Tower--at least the southern California stores--was the chain didn't seem to drug test its employees or require any kind of appearance code. The employees were always the freakiest--every kind of social misfit and oddball--and it gave the whole record-buying experience an extra kick, at least for this right-wing Republican. Yep, another piece of Americana gone.
I've shopped at Tower stores from Sunset in L.A. to Picadilly Circus in London (I came home from England with a *dozen* LPs, that was interesting getting them on the plane, grin)...their employees and the music played can definitely be a little "interesting," but I agree it did have a certain charm -- when there were such wonderful "finds" to be made!!
I visited the new Buena Park Tower several times this summer, and am so sad it's going to disappear already!!
Best wishes, Laura
Post a Comment
<< Home