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| From | Bill Douglas <ccosmos_64@yahoo.com> |
| Subject | Let It Be Records |
| Date | Sat, 23 Apr 2005 08:19:51 -0700 (PDT) |
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Heard yesterday that Let It Be Records in Minneapolis
will soon be closing its doors. It's a sad day indeed
for indie record shops. Whenever I traveled north to
the Twin Cities, I made it a point to shop there.
I've attached the e-mail sent by the owner to their
e-mail list:
When I was a kid, my mom used to tell people that I
learned how to
read off the labels of the 45s my older brothers had
passed on to me.
While it did not provide an extensive vocabulary, by
the age of 5 I
certainly knew who the Beatles were and their song
titles. Later I
progressed to LPs (again, passed on) that I wore out
beyond
recognition with that cheap little phonograph that my
parents had
bought for me. I was hooked and I never turned back.
Music has always
been the background to my life. I knew when I was
young that I wanted
to work in a record store, and just after turning 16,
I was. I wound
my way through, working at various stores, knowing
that someday I would
own one of my own. In 1987, my dream came true. I've
always strived
to have the best store possible. Over the years, many
co-workers have
passed through the doors (Paulie, Sam, RIP). I credit
them, as much
as myself, for making our store a success over these
years. And of
course our customers who have supported us in
surviving retail for 18
years.
Over the past 5 years, the music industry has changed
dramatically.
What did not change was our desire to maintain a great
store despite
the changes. Music was always our concern. No bongs,
incense,
refrigerators, etc. Just music. Who knows how the
music world will
change in the future, but there will ALWAYS be great
music. There
will always be great record stores (virtual or brick
and mortar).
Independent record stores are the lifeblood of the
industry. I
encourage anyone reading this to support indie stores,
as they are
ground zero for the music community.
Let It Be Records will be closing our doors on or
around June 15th. A
redevelopment of our block has led me to the decision
of whether to
relocate the store, and I have decided not to do so.
There are many
reasons for my choice, some personal, some business,
but it is my
choice. Even if we stayed until the full length of our
lease next
year, I had already made the decision not renew it.
I've owned the
store for almost half my life, and feel I really need
to change
gears. I will be concentrating on my mail order
business of rare
vinyl and CDs, based at www.letitbe.com. My co-workers
will go on
shaping the local music
scene in their own ways. Many are DJs who spin their
musical
favorites regularly.
Thanks again to all the customers over the years, all
my co-workers,
the bands/musicians who have supported our store with
in-store
performances, my
parents & family, my wife Kellie (owner of Via's
Vintage Wear-24th &
Hennepin), and my dear departed dog Calvin. I couldn't
have, and
wouldn't have done it without you.
Let It Be,
Ryan Cameron
Owner
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