Sam Ash is closing 18 stores: UPDATE-Now closing all stores

V

vyacheslav

Senior Member
UPDATE: SEE LATEST POST ON PAGE 3 OF THIS THREAD

This is a partial list:

Huntington, NY
34th Street, NY City
Edison, NJ
Lombard, IL
Miami Lakes, FL
Clearwater, FL
City of Industry, CA
Atlanta, GA
Orlando, FL
Cincinnati, OH
New Haven, CT
Hollywood, CA
Plus 6 others (I can't get a confirmed list)

This is sad, but not at all surprising. My local Sam Ash here in Cincinnati is an absolutely gigantic store that was never more than 1/3 full of product at any point. Drum wise, they have had zero high end drums for years and over the last few years never seemed to have any new inventory at all. Every time I stopped in, I was one of maybe two or three customers total.

Right now, there are discounts ranging from 5-25% depending on the type of gear.

Instruments: 5% off (applies to new and used)
Pickups/guitar electronics: 10% off
Guitar strings: 5% off
Gig bags/cases: 20% off
Cables: 20% off
Sheet music: 20% off
Orchestral accessories and reeds: 10% off

Discounts will grow as time goes on. All sales are final (you may be able to return items at another Sam Ash store that is still in operation) and no trade ins are being taken. No new gear can be ordered from the central warehouse; you would have to order online or from another still operating location. Affected stores should be open until the end of May or so.
 
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wow...the 34th Street location is closing? Isn't that the first one?

the one in Columbus has never been good...ever

i think I have been in it 4 times, and every time was just awkward...2 employees behind the counter on their phones. Gear, cords, general debris just laying everywhere. There is no discernable "area" for any specific instrument b/.c there are instruments of all kinds everywhere laying around

the last time I went in there, I was looking for shock mounts for an AT 20/20 mic, and the guy took me back and showed me an SM 57
guy: "these are, by far, the best mics out there"
me: " but I was looking for shock mounts for an AT 20/20 mic"
guy: 'what are you micing?"
me: "a marimba"
guy: 'well, the SM 57 should work. It works on everything"
me: 'cool" as I walk out
 
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX said:
wow...the 34th Street location is closing? Isn't that the first one?
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I'm not 100% sure. I think the original store was in Brooklyn? I know the 48th Street location was the old Manny's Music but I think that closed during the pandemic (or before).

Here's a good thread I found about it. Some good history and backstories from people that lived in the area and went there.

Sam Ash Manhattan (& a bunch of others) closing

Contraction of American business & job loss is never a fun topic. Sam Ash told employees today that Manhattan (plus Queens and about 16 other stores) will close. Initial chopping block for highest-rent locations, Chicago (x2), Hollywood,CA, Miami and others. Some this month, some by June, with...
www.thegearpage.net
 
They have long since closed the store nearest me.

I visited the Hollywood store a few months back and it was a ghost town. Years ago they had so many drum kits you could barely walk through the store, but on this last visit you could hold a dance party in there, it was so barren.

I was looking to potentially buy a new crash cymbal, but they had so few cymbals, I didn't even see anything worth listening to.

I really think brick-and-mortar retail for the music industry is dead.

I live in Los Angeles where Guitar Center is based, and their local stores aren't much better. Most of the stores are converting a portion of salesroom space to lessons, repairs, and other things GC would never have considered in the past.
 
DrumEatDrum said:
I visited the Hollywood store a few months back and it was a ghost town. Years ago they had so many drum kits you could barely walk through the store, but on this last visit you could hold a dance party in there, it was so barren.

I was looking to potentially buy a new crash cymbal, but they had so few cymbals, I didn't even see anything worth listening to.
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I live in LA and Sam Ash Hollywood is my primary drum store, so I find this statement incredibly hard to believe. I go in there regularly, and they're jam packed with gear, especially cymbals. And mostly high-end cymbals, like Ks, Constantinoples, Meinl Byzance, etc. I was just there 2 weeks ago, and as always, they had tons of gear in there. I even tried out that new DW e-kit (which I didn't like at all, but that's another topic).

I will say that there may be slightly fewer kits in there compared to a few years ago, but only slightly. And their cymbal selection is as good as always.

Of course learning this news saddens me, because it sounds like I'll be losing my favorite drum shop :(
 
Sam Ash's Paramus, NJ store closed a couple of years ago, but no surprise, as it had been going downhill for years. The store looked shoddy, and the drum room had a lot of low end junk. It was also in a very dangerous spot on Route 4, just past an entrance ramp next to the Garden State Plaza Mall, so it was very difficult to get to the right to pull in the lot.
 
BobC said:
Sam Ash's Paramus, NJ store closed a couple of years ago, but no surprise, as it had been going downhill for years. The store looked shoddy, and the drum room had a lot of low end junk. It was also in a very dangerous spot on Route 4, just past an entrance ramp next to the Garden State Plaza Mall, so it was very difficult to get to the right to pull in the lot.
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That location really was dangerous to pull in and out of. I will say I still have my Sabian AA Rock Hats I bought there over 20 years ago and they're still going strong!
 
Hard to compete with shops like DCP, Cymbal Fusion, Chicago Drum Exchange, etc. that really stood up during the covid lockdowns and brought the instrument to the country via the internet. I have never seen online content of that quality in my life.

I don't see how big box one size fits all retail works in this arena anymore. My .02 cents.
 
Sorry to see the Hollywood store go. It's a standalone drum department in its own storefront, so it really feels like a drum store. Always some cool used stuff in there as well. There'll be just a few locations remaining in California, one is just a few miles from me in Torrance. :)
 
Syncopated_1 said:
Hard to compete with shops like DCP, Cymbal Fusion, Chicago Drum Exchange, etc. that really stood up during the covid lockdowns and brought the instrument to the country via the internet. I have never seen online content of that quality in my life.

I don't see how big box one size fits all retail works in this arena anymore. My .02 cents.
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Agreed and when you chuck Sweetwater in there the brick and mortar stores are tough....especially the ones trying to still operate as a small chain. I think there is still a place for mom & pop small stores as long as they carve out a niche and have a strong online game like Nelson's etc. but Guitar Center is useless for drums and has been for a long time at least in New England and Sweetwater and DCP (local to me) can have something to me in 24-72hrs if I need it. So hard to want to deal with the BS of driving to and walking into one of the chains.

The closest GC to me requires a shower upon leaving......it's gross.
 
I have gone into that Orlando FL Sam Ash store probably 10 times in the last 10 years. Each time I went in they had less staff, less gear for sale, and even started to section off parts of the store. For awhile I thought they were remodeling. The last few times I went in there they had so few staff and so few customers I swear you could just pick up something and walk right out the door without anyone even noticing (not that I condone or encourage theft). The last 2 times I went in there I remember thinking "how is this place still even open?" I was looking at drum heads and drum sticks for easily 20 minutes before an employee comes in and says, "Hey uh do you like need help man?" I told him I was looking for particular heads and sticks and asked if he was the drum department guy. He responded "uh, no. Hold on (picks up the phone) hey uh there's a guy in the drum department and I think he actually wants to buy something" lol I just thanked him for his time and left.

I like to be able to see/hear/handle/play gear in person before I buy it but at the end of the day the incredible customer service Sweetwater provides, the stupid low prices you can find at MF/GC if you catch a sale or deal, and the quick free shipping and no hassle returns from Amazon make these brick and mortar stores irrelevant.

I have two independent shops in my area. One of them just tries to sell you the trendy items of the week and the drum guys know less about gear than the adolescent students that take lessons there. The other one is a drum specific shop but they guy tries to force Aquarian heads on you (and goes into a whole lengthy annoying thing about how Evans and Remo don't support small business if you don't buy them) and only sells the highest end DW kits or random old junk he finds in the trash that he tries to claim "vintage" to slap on a high price tag.
 
TK-421 said:
I live in LA and Sam Ash Hollywood is my primary drum store, so I find this statement incredibly hard to believe. I go in there regularly, and they're jam packed with gear, especially cymbals. And mostly high-end cymbals, like Ks, Constantinoples, Meinl Byzance, etc. I was just there 2 weeks ago, and as always, they had tons of gear in there. I even tried out that new DW e-kit (which I didn't like at all, but that's another topic).

I will say that there may be slightly fewer kits in there compared to a few years ago, but only slightly. And their cymbal selection is as good as always.

Of course learning this news saddens me, because it sounds like I'll be losing my favorite drum shop :(
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That may be the point. They have them, but are not selling them
 
River19 said:
Agreed and when you chuck Sweetwater in there the brick and mortar stores are tough....especially the ones trying to still operate as a small chain. I think there is still a place for mom & pop small stores as long as they carve out a niche and have a strong online game like Nelson's etc. but Guitar Center is useless for drums and has been for a long time at least in New England and Sweetwater and DCP (local to me) can have something to me in 24-72hrs if I need it. So hard to want to deal with the BS of driving to and walking into one of the chains.

The closest GC to me requires a shower upon leaving......it's gross.
Click to expand...
Guitar Center really started to degrade in the early 2000s I noticed. I visited a large store in Houston (lived there at the time) and at first it was perfection. Then slowly, less and less nice equipment, stores full of kids that mom and dad clearly dropped off for store 'babysitting' to just bang on drums, etc. Then it became dirty and the quality of employee dropped a lot. The couple of them here in ATL are a little better, but operationally they are a mess. The last time I went into one I bought a drum head pack and watched the employee ring it up. Dude had to go into like 4 screens to complete a simple transaction.
 
bermuda said:
Sorry to see the Hollywood store go. It's a standalone drum department in its own storefront, so it really feels like a drum store. Always some cool used stuff in there as well. There'll be just a few locations remaining in California, one is just a few miles from me in Torrance. :)
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I thought the Torrance sam ash closed a few years ago.
 
Totigerus said:
I thought the Torrance sam ash closed a few years ago.
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They moved a bit north, just above 190th on the west side of Hawthorne. Easy to get into, a little tricky getting out because of the curved road. Gotta be careful, or burn rubber.
 
Clearwater is closing? Grrr... that was always a favorite stop when playing Ruth Eckerd Hall just around the corner. :(
 
Syncopated_1 said:
LMAO
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Seriously, it's a hazard exiting the lot. There are two driveways, I recommend taking the southern-most one to get a few extra feet of warning on cars zooming around the curve from the left. At night you might have the advantage of seeing headlights coming. I'm a very assertive driver, but I'm always extra careful when I leave that store.

I don't know how the delivery trucks make it out safely.
 
Dang, I didn’t know they were closing the main location on 34th street. Now where’s Larry Hartke going to hang out?
 
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