Horrible Chain Store Promises First Good Location

Just about a two and a half months after the company’s sale and liquidation were announced, the Tower Records on South Street closed yesterday after seven years.

Inquirer music critic Dan DeLuca writes about the factors in music store closings: MP3s, big chains like Target and Best Buy pricing new releases at $10, etc. Some small stores — a.k.a. music on Seconds Street — are still doing well, kind of serving up CDs and a “culture” that possibly makes you feel cool when you go inside. (DeLuca references High Fidelity, which sounds about right.)

He also lets us know just what’s going in the old Tower Records location on Broad Street, which did some of the company’s best business.

f.y.e. spokesman John Sullivan said this week that Trans World had bought the lease of the Tower store on Broad Street, and plans to open a store as early as February. He said this store - the chain’s area flagship - would be more music-centric than most, with “a good classical selection” to rival Tower’s.

A good f.y.e.? I’ll believe it when I see it.

Digital era sounds death knell for some, not all, retailers [Inquirer]