Tower Records' location on the Drag is closing next month. I'm a little happy to see one corporate outlet leave the campus area, but I'm even happier about the 20% off everything sale that started today. Unlike 33 Degrees' clearance sale, I was able to pick up one of those CDs that are too expensive to buy at full price, and never turned up used. It's a little embarrassing to admit that I don't have this already, but I picked up Can's Tago Mago at a steep discount this afternoon. I also grabbed Boards of Canada's Music has the Right to Children, plus Cath Carroll's True Crime Motel. I only know her from the Unrest song, but it was only $.99, so its not too much of a risk. I almost grabbed The Flaming Lips box set Finally the Punk Rockers are Taking Acid, but I decided against it, since I haven't listen to them in some time.
I still feel a little bad about spending my money at a corporate store, but, I think of it the same way I think about buying designer jeans at Ross; the big ugly corporation is losing money anyway, so I might as well take advantage. Is there any reason I wouldn't want to participate in corporate culture like this?
As an addendum, Tower is the fourth record store to close in the time I've lived in Austin. (I've lived here since August, 2002) It's really starting to get weird. Has Austin seen a record retailing slump like this before? Are record stores closing across the country? I hope my favorite record store in the whole wide world, Philadelphia's AKA Music stays open. This article from Philadelphia Weekly says AKA has moved out of its location in an old pantyhose warehouse into another space a few doors down.
I'd be cheering about evil faceless corporate giant Tower shutting down except that my old high school friend Russell McCulloh has been running their classical section since the same thing happened at his previous faceless corporate giant employer.
Have I mentioned Russell in your comments before? He was the only kid in Oklahoma history to be an obsessive follower of both Shostakovich and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Despite corporate neglect and through half a dozen mergers and name changes he built his corner of the old Wherehouse at 49th and Burnett into an outstanding specialty classical store. The last time he got downsized it resulted in a letter-writing campaign with such luminaries as the director of the Austin Symphony begging someone to hire him and keep his expertise available to local classical music lovers.
The ideal place for Russell would be Waterloo, but even if they were prepared to hire him and capitalize his section, where on earth would they fit the stock? His sections at Wherehouse and Tower were about 1/3 the size of Waterloo's entire store.
Hmm -- Cheapo certainly has plenty of room. I wonder...
Posted by: Prentiss Riddle at May 26, 2004 09:13 PMCorporate or not, Tower had a great staff every time I visited. I'll miss that. But Waterloo is closer to me and has much better parking, so I'm not entirely disappointed. Any idea what's going to be replacing tower in that prime piece of real estate?
Posted by: Scott Johnson at May 27, 2004 12:47 AMPrentiss,
Small world. I worked with Russell at the 49th and Burnet store in the early 90's. He's a great guy and definitely amazingly knowledgeable. I haven't seen him in years. I didn't realize that he'd gone to Tower. I know at least one other refugee from that store, Dennis Elinski, ended up and Tower and then moved on to Waterloo.
Any chance we could get it converted back to the Varsity?
Posted by: ttrentham at May 27, 2004 09:04 AMConvert it back to the Varsity! Yeah!
And then maybe move the pr0n back into the Texas Theater (now Eckerd's). :-)
Posted by: Prentiss Riddle at May 27, 2004 05:43 PMI worked with Russel at Sound Wearhouse (later Blockbuster Music, later Wherehouse, now a future thrift shop) in 1985. If anyone finds out where he lands, please let me know. He is THE Austin Oracle on classical recordings.
Posted by: Michael Simpson at August 15, 2004 10:19 PMToo funny! I was searching for the article done on Russell in Austin Monthly for a guy at work and came across this.
Russell did indeed eventually land at Waterloo. He started there at the end of September after a very short stay at the Barnes & Noble in Round Rock (he hated it).
I rarely let him touch my computer, but for those who are interested his email is rmcculloh at hotmail dot com.
-Rachel
(aka The Classical Guy's wife)
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