Another Vancouver record store closes its doors after 40 years
Posted November 17, 2018 8:37 pm.
Last Updated November 17, 2018 8:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Despite a resurgence in the popularity of records in recent years, technology and the internet have killed yet another brick and mortar store: this time a Vancouver record shop.
After 40 years in business, Sikora’s Classical Records on Hastings Street is closing it’s doors for good. The original owners Dick and Dorothy Sikora had a vision in mind when they opened their doors, says now co-owner Edward Savenye.
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“They wanted this city to have something like that, where people who love classical music could come here and enjoy… yes consume, but at the same time, it was kind of like a gathering place,” he says.
But now the owners have decided to close their doors because of what he calls the “five dirty Ds:” distribution, downsizing, demise, digitization, and desertion.
“For the sake of a few dollars or convenience, a lot of people have simply decided to not shop here,” he says. “We respect that it’s every customer’s right to choose where and how they spend their dollars, but, in the end, the fact remains that yes, a certain number of our customers simply walked away.”
For Savenye, it has been a challenge to maintain the store and work against difficult conditions. And now, they’ve made a difficult decision.
“You kind of gotta look at the numbers in an objective way and say, is this something we can keep going? And, the answer was simply, well, sadly, no.”
Savenye says he hopes customers can help the store go out with a bang, before it closes for good in February.
