The music community has known for several weeks that Sam Ash Music would be closing a number of locations, but news spread like wildfire in early May when the perennial chain of musical instrument stores officially confirmed that it will be closing all locations, ending its tenure as one of the largest and most successful chains of MI retail, ever.
At some point or another, just about any musician who ever picked, plucked, strummed, plinked, blew or banged an instrument made a purchase at Sam Ash. I can remember being really young (like maybe 5 years old), taking a ride in the car with my Mom and Dad to the store in Brooklyn, N.Y., where my Mom searched among the racks of sheet music for a favorite song. As I grew up and became a rabid drummer, most of my patronage went to Bath Music (also in Brooklyn), where I could be thoroughly entertained BS’ing with Mom and Pop Castellano, find a good deal on a used snare drum, and pick up some after-school work to pay off said snare drum.
In fact, when I think of “home,” two places come to mind, neither of which are where I live: my Mom and Dad’s house, and Bath Music, which was literally just around the corner from Mom and Dad. Sorry to say that Bath Music closed down years ago after Ma and Pop C passed on, but ask anyone in New York about the store and I guarantee they’ll have a great story that involves getting a meal in the backroom/kitchen, where more stray musicians were fed than the Crazy Cat Lady down the street ever fed stray Tabbies.
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Nonetheless, I confess there were times when I strayed and went to Sam Ash to pick up a drum head or (in later years, as I built a studio) to pick the brain of Tony D over what synth or drum module would make a good addition to my rig. Musicians and engineers may find it hard to believe, but Sam Ash (as well as other retailers) actually had a “Pro” store on 48th Street in NYC where you could buy anything from tape machines and consoles to recording tape, cable, connectors and soldering supplies. Hard to imagine in the current day and age.
Sadly, the demise of Sam Ash is a continuing sign of tough times for brick-and-mortar shops that struggle against online retailers that have little-to-no overhead and (with many manufacturers offering drop shipping) don’t even need to maintain much of an inventory. Brick-and-mortar retail of any kind is an expensive commitment, and maintaining a large inventory of pricey instruments ties up too much capital. Of course, if you want to play the exact instrument that you’ll purchase—or perhaps try several different examples of the same brand/model of a guitar, bass or cymbal—you’ll need to visit your local retailer because you can’t get that experience online.
What really irks me is a scenario that many MI retailers suffer constantly: a customer comes into their store to check out an item, then buys the item online from another vendor. As we say in Brooklyn, “That ain’t right.” Support your locals, or they won’t be there to support you when you need it.
