The New York company inspired millions of musicians to “come in and play.”
Sam Ash Music, the 100-year-old retailer that stoked the musical aspirations of countless shoppers, announced Thursday, May 2 “with a heavy heart” that it was closing all 42 stores nationwide. All seven in California are in Southern California. The New York-based company said in a social media post that store sales would begin Friday. “This unfortunate news also presents a fantastic opportunity for great deals,” the company wrote on Facebook.
Created in 1924 by immigrants Sam Ash, a violinist from Austria, and wife Rose Dinin of Russia, the company motto was “come in and play.” The family-run company wallpapered its stores with images of famous musicians at work on their instruments. Myriad guitars, amplifiers, drum kits, DJ equipment and more tempted musicians to stop and play. “Music and musicianship is thrilling and exciting, and we’re just happy to a special part of that journey,” the company says in its storyline.
Hundreds of people took to the post to leave their memories and lament the closure. Matthew Friedman, a musician and performer, summed up the emotions. “Over the years I have worked, played and shopped at Sam Ash,” Friedman wrote on Facebook at the Sam Ash announcement. “It’s been a vital part of my life for as long as I can remember… a great family business, with a century’s worth of history supporting music and creativity and the arts… irreplaceable.”Myriad in-store retailers have struggled since the pandemic.
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