News Sonic Boom in Fremont is Closing
posted by on January 9 at 10:57 AM
In 2007, Sonic Boom Records in Seattle celebrated a banner ten years in business. From its beginnings as a tiny storefront in Fremont, we have grown to three locations and 24 staff members. Our business continues to be healthy and strong. Most of our full-time employees are receiving health insurance benefits and a 401K matching plan that we’ve been offering since 2003.
Now, thanks to the loyal music community in Seattle, our online business and the occasional tourist, we are NOT announcing the end of Sonic Boom. Instead, we are announcing the restructuring the physical spaces AKA the “brick and mortar” of Sonic Boom Records.
Sonic Boom Records is making essential changes to ensure the livelihood both for its staff and the stores. As of February 19th, the Fremont locations will close and the inventory will be absorbed into the Ballard and Capitol Hill stores. This is not due to downloading or file sharing nor is it due to declining business. The change is due to market forces such as increasing rent and major neighborhood changes. We’ve always thought it was a bit crazy to have two locations (Ballard & Fremont) so close together (2.3 miles, to be exact). The Ballard store will undergo renovations and reorganization and offer more to our customers than ever before. Most importantly, the staff will be offered better wages and more security, continued health insurance benefits and 401K plan as well as a partial stake in the company.Our goal is to take the best possible care of our staff and our customers. Call it a conscience. We all know it is tough living on retail wages. Our employees are the heart and soul of this company and we want to ensure that they can survive and thrive in today’s Seattle and that they will continue to be the familiar friendly faces for all of our customers.
We’ve been saying it over and over this autumn — but we can’t say it enough…THANK YOU for supporting Sonic Boom over the years. We look forward to more great years ahead! Our customers have more music-purchasing options than ever before and we are honored that you choose us.
I just got off the phone with Sonic Boom co-founder Nabil Ayers and he says this has been something the store has been planning for awhile, but they had to keep it under wraps while they figured out how to make the best of the situation.
Like the press release says, Ayers assures us that it’s not because of the usually blamed culprits. “It’s weird timing because all these stores are closing and blaming downloading and low music sales,” he says, “but it doesn’t have anything to do with that.”
The Ballard store will undergo some minor renovations (which will mostly be done at night, so the store won’t be closed for any period of time), and the face lift will mostly make way for more inventory and also more comfortable in-store performances.
Also, the store closure won’t result in massive layoffs. “There’s probably gonna have to be a few, but very few,” Ayers assures. “We sat down with every employee some time ago, and we’re asking for a bigger commitment from them. It’s working out well. It’s a lot of people who are voluntarily going—going back to school, leaving the country.”
The renovations on the Ballard store should be done by the end of February, and sometime in the Spring, Ayers and Co. plan on having a party to celebrate the changes. Before the Feb 19 closing date, there will also be a big sale at the Fremont store, but no exact starting date has been set yet.
As for what will happen to the space once the Boom exits, Ayers can’t say. “It’s not bad, though. It’s not a cell phone store.”
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Where will I pick up my copy of Vice Magazine now?
Seriously, I would have thought they'd close the Ballard store and keep the Fremont location (combining the vinyl shop and the CD store into one location).
At least Jive Time is still around ... please tell me they aren't going anywhere.
I'm still waiting for them to live up to the promise of "filling the void left by the loss of Fallout." They never stepped up, nice job blowing smoke guys. At least now maybe they'll let go the creepy control freak, that blond haired lady...you Boomers know who!
I know alot of the Sonic Boomers, and this is very a good thing. A long time coming and it was just time for this to happen.
To the previous posters
"Jeff": maybe you should have BOUGHT something while picked up your free garbage mysogynistic magazine.
and to "bye bye": Fallout sucked, and you are an idiot.
Good news for Sonic Boom, bad news for Fremont.
Jive Time and Sonic Boom has a bit of symbiotic relationship, as far as providing a good couple of blocks for record shoppers in the area. With Sonic Boom gone, I can't say this is good news for Jive Time at all.
Unless another record store takes Sonic Boom's place.
Does this also mean the Sonic Boom General Store is going too?
papas - Fallout sucked? nice one, brah.
I miss Fallout.
Don't worry about that space Sonic Boom Fremont is in I'm sure something worthy like a dog spa will go in it's place.
@4 Yes, the General Store is closing too. But the two remaining stores will put up a lot of the inventory.
For the record Lake Forrest Park is the new Fremont!
This sucks. A lot. Sonic Boom was one of the main reasons I decided to live in Fremont when I moved to Seattle. I can walk to it, the staff know me, I always discover cool stuff on their listening stations and staff picks. Plus it's such an important part of the culture of the neighborhood. Without it, there's not much of anything to draw me down into that main part of Fremont. Booo.
Plus, why would you close the store that you just put a ton of work into doubling the size of and creating a whole special vinyl shop/"general store". The store that is actually celebrating 10 years in business on your 10th Anniversary? Stupid! I have been an extremely frequent and loyal customer, and this does not make me feel "thanked" at all.
Sad news. I loved Sonic Boom in Fremont. The workers were quite friendly. It was just a neat little store. Mark my words... Easy Street will "consolidate" as well. One year? Two years? Saw this coming a long time ago, and almost everybody called me a pessimist. This is the beginning of the end for local chains. I actually think smaller stores with small overhead will last longer (i.e. Rubato, Underdawg- even Holy Cow etc...). Stores will big rents & big payroll & big budgets will not last long with iPods & the internet. Some of my greatest memories are sifting thru items in record stores. Hope I'm wrong about this stuff.
it's sad to see another record store closing (even if they have more than one location).
word on the street is that Everyday Music up on Broadway might be closing soon too, if they don't find a big enough space to move into by April. which would suck. it's Seattle's answer to Amoeba, and capitol hill's only large used record store. they're tearing down that whole block for light rail stuff, which i guess is good in the long run. but what about all the great shops on that stretch? the cheap copy place? piroshki? vivace?
i'm sure broadway will end up all high-rise condo's, just like the rest of seattle.
With all due respect, F.S., Everyday Music is NOT even Seattle's answer to Amoeba. No store here is even close. Maybe you could compare Easy Street to Aron's in Hollywood (R.I.P.). Everyday is weak. And yes, you are correct that EM is most likely gone from Capitol Hill.
I hate to say this, but I totally agree with Seattle Is Dying's post. iPods suck. :(
In re Kirk's comment (9): Unfortunately, you do not appear to have reviewed the reasons SB has decided to do this. This is about economics--the businesses in the main part of Fremont have some of the highest rents in the city, and SB is a small independent business with another store close by, in more accessible, arguably cooler Ballard. Math.
Also, this is about the employees--they will be receiving better wages and higher stakes in the company, providing incentives to make SB even better for everyone, including you.
This was not a "stupid" decision, nor one the owners came to lightly. This is trying to make to best of an adverse situation; namely, that Seattle is becoming less and less of a haven for independent retail businesses in many neighborhoods. Please don't take it personally.
(Full disclosure, I'm a former long time employee with strong remaining ties to the company.)
I am one of the employees of Sonic Boom, thee best company I've ever worked for. Though I write this on a blog using broad terms, I am just speaking for myself here: the employees at the Boom know that the owners are not simply offering lip service as a some outsiders are accusing, but are truly planning the future of the company as it relates to the staff and our community, "from the inside out", lets say. This is all about the future of the "the record store" as an idea and as a destination, our community, flipping through albums, and rock and fucking roll.
My friend Michaela put it well up above, the logistics of having stores in Fremont simply became unrealistic... I have a love/hate relationship with the neighborhood, so I'll stop there.
But you can't take this as "Tower Records is closing" type omen, Tower records tried NOTHING to stay with the times, they just opened more stores, and stocked Simpsons dolls and every bad rap single available (we love rap... don't get silly...). We've always got our custys in mind, and stock music you want to buy.... yada yada..
But really, when it comes right down, Fremont locals should just take a short bike ride to visit our shop, (2 miles!) and the other great shops and great food in Ballard. We'll be there, same nice people, improved stock, more instores... and have you tried parking in Fremont lately? give me a break.
and I've gotta add, I love my ipod; it's damn handy, AND I'm a vinyl nut, so.... It's not and either/or thing people! as long as there are companies like Sonic Boom and great record labels who love CDs and LP's, there will be people like me buying CD's and LP's, and I know I'm not alone.
SDW out.
SDW, have you tried parking on Capitol Hill or Ballard lately? Like Fremont, Ballard is changing faster than a cameleon. Hopefully it won't be closed for the same reasons as the Fremont store in a year or two...
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