R.I.P. Tower Records

O.K., it's not quite dead yet, but the sandwich boards are comin' out. The liquidation sales started today, and once that happens, it's all over. It's hard to imagine Broadway and West 4th Street without Tower Records, but it will be gone soon. In Chapter 11 bankruptcy (again) since August, the company was sold yesterday in a heated auction to Great American Group for $134.3 million beating out Trans World Entertainment by only $500,000. The Judge approved the narrow victory by such a small increment even though Trans World was planning to close only about 25% of the stores. The dubiously named Great American immediately began liquidating all of the company's 89 stores, eliminating about 3,000 jobs in the process.
Tower was always the original superstore to us. We've been spoiled here in New York by being able to go there and find practically any CD we were looking for. Where else are we going to find that import dance remix single we still love from a couple of years ago? Sure they weren't perfect, but they were better than anyone else in terms of sheer breadth. Tower stood alone for so long, then HMV arrived in the early 90's with a challenge, forcing them to raise their game (hello listening stations) and abruptly disappeared, leaving the Virgin Megastore as their only competition. We like Virgin fine, but it's not the same, and we will miss our regular Tuesday (release day) visits to that downtown store, The Shophound's first record shopping choice for about 20 years.

If American Apparel moves in we're gonna picket!