The ceaseless march of technological advancement has impacted a number of industries. Online shopping has done a number on brick and mortar retailers and even those that do remain open have changed their inventories to match changing trends. For example, Best Buy stopped carrying CDs back in 2018, and are phasing out physical media like DVDs and Blu-rays in 2025.
Sadly, one of the last holdouts in record stores will be closing its doors in the near future.
Sam Goody was one of the biggest music store chains in the country for decades. What began in the 50s, selling LP’s, eventually would expand to sell other forms of music and media in the decades to come. This is one of the reasons why many of the mall based stores were converted into f.y.e locations as consumer taste and brand recognition changed. Between acquisitions, closures, and conversions, there are only two Sam Goody stores left, with one of them closing in February of 2025.
It comes at kind of an odd time given that music sales have been shifting again in the last decade. Walmart carries vinyl, which is not something that anyone could’ve predicted in the 2000’s with the rise of the MP3. And thanks to Taylor Swift, the artform that is the music album has seen a revitalization. Is it enough to keep a record chain afloat? Probably not. Independent music stores are likely to be one of the last bastions of brick and mortar record sales. They’ll be all that’s left of music stores for the most part, especially with Sam Goody closing its doors.
The final two locations are in St. Clairsville, Ohio and Medford, Oregon. The Ohio location is set to close in February, and will be offering discounts in its dying days. As for the Oregon location, there hasn’t been an announced closing date as of the time of this writing. It would be interesting though if the Oregon one remains open, making Oregon the state with the last remaining Sam Goody, and Blockbuster. One can dream at least.
