It’s the end of an era for a long-time Ottawa business. On Sunday, CD Warehouse closed its doors for good, after 24 years in the industry.
Co-founder Stephen Bleeker and his wife first opened the flagship store in Nepean in 1991. They would go on to open two other Ottawa locations, and one in Kingston. All of them have since closed.
“It's been fun, it's been emotional, for sure,” Bleeker said, standing in the store on the last day of business. “We poured our hearts and souls into it for a long time. But the time is right, so we're happy to move on.”
CD and DVD sales aren’t what they used to be. Digital downloads now lead the pack, although they too, are in decline. Vinyl records, on the other hand, are seeing a revival in sales.
According to Nielsen Music Canada, vinyl sales rose 71 percent last year, compared to 2013.
“I'm certainly glad to see vinyl do as well as it has, I always thought it was a superior format for listening to music,” said John Thompson, owner of the Record Centre in Hintonburg.
The store opened about seven months ago. Thompson says it is doing well, and he's happy to see a renewed interest in vinyl, something he did not see coming.
Customers say listening to an album on vinyl is more enjoyable than on a CD or computer.
“I think it gives it a vintage feel to it, even if you listen to something new like I do, it still feels a little more real compared to if you listen on your phone,” said one customer browsing through the shelves.
As for Bleeker, he says he is ready to leave the music sales industry at this point, but his general manager is opening a store in April called “The Odds & Sods Shoppe” on Merivale Rd., which will sell everything from records to CDs, to candy and T-shirts.
