Downtown Evanston’s last remaining national chain music store, Wherehouse Music, expects to close after a court hearing next week.
Wherehouse Entertainment Inc., the parent company of the Evanston branch, filed a petition to reorganize in January. The chain already closed 30 stores nationwide and is looking to close 120 more “unprofitable or underperforming” locations within the next few months, a company press release said.
George Drag, manager of the Evanston store at 1711 Sherman Ave., could not comment on the reason for the store’s closing. The current location has been a music retail store for about nine years, according to Drag, although it became a Wherehouse only four years ago.
Another major Sherman Avenue retailer just down the block, Student Book Exchange, closed last August.
Since Wherehouse received approval to reorganize, it must file closing plans for the Evanston branch in bankruptcy court Feb. 28, according to Anita-Marie Hill, a spokeswoman for Sitrick and Co., which represents Wherehouse Entertainment. She said the corporation must wait until after the hearing to set a specific closing date.
In a Jan. 21 press release, Wherehouse CEO Jerry Comstock said high CD prices and Internet piracy combined to render many of the chain’s stores unprofitable.
Wherehouse’s withdrawal from downtown will leave three independent stores — Dr. Wax, 1615 Sherman Ave.; Vintage Vinyl Records, 925 Davis St.; and 2nd Hand Tunes, 800 Dempster St. — as the remaining music retailers in Evanston.
Dr. Wax’s manager, Jack Kirk, said the music retail industry as a whole has suffered from high prices and music piracy.
“(Piracy) affects everybody,” Kirk said. “The average person thinks Internet music hurts (retailers) the most, but the real cause of our hardship is major labels pricing their music too high.”
Kirk’s store has been around for a decade. He attributes its success to a rapport with regular customers, a wider selection of CDs and better prices.
“We never really worry about (Wherehouse),” Kirk said. “Chains rarely affect us. We have outlasted many chain stores.”
Some Northwestern students were not surprised by the news of Wherehouse’s closing.
Jermaine McGill went to Wherehouse three times a month but said he prefers to shop online.
“Wherehouse does not have a wide selection of CDs and DVDs,” said McGill, a Weinberg sophomore. “Most people don’t shop there.”
Tom Kluz, a Weinberg junior, also said Wherehouse’s bankruptcy was understandable.
“The CDs are really expensive,” Kluz said. “I only go to Wherehouse to buy accessories like headphones.”
Despite his complaints about high prices, Drag said he would miss his Evanston customers.
“I loved this community, Evanston and all the people,” Drag said. “The area definitely will be missed.”
