Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

ch-scene - Update from Gate City Noise (More Bad New for Local Independent Retail)

ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: RTP-area local music and culture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: gboothe2 AT earthlink.net (Glenn Boothe)
  • To: ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Update from Gate City Noise (More Bad New for Local Independent Retail)
  • Date: 28 Feb 2004 16:52:37 -0800

I thought some of you would be interested in the following email from
Andrew of Gate City Noise that I received via email...glenn


I have a question for everyone.
What does gate.city.noise mean to you?
And what I mean by that question is what does it represent to you and
how does it make your day better. This isn't a "check me out" by any
means. Believe me when I say I don't run this record store to be cool
or to be some big man around town, and I'm not trying to get some
recognition for what I do here. I don't need that. I'm doing this
because I love music to death. It consumes me and nurtures me. I do
this because music commands it of me, and I whole heartedly accept.
And I know a lot of you out there feel just as passionate about music
as well.

I have tried many subtle times in the past to express my worries for
the record industry and the future of this store, but today I will not
sugar coat it and I will tell everyone the facts as they are. Some of
this may come as a shock to you and many others simply won't care,
which is fine. So the situation that the store is in now is the worst
that it has ever been in it's 3 years and 11 months of business.
People just aren't coming out to buy cd's and skateboards. I could
speculate for hours on why, but the facts still remain. The past few
months gate.city.noise has had remarkably low sales which cause it to
be in debt something fierce. You see, in this unique business of
release dates and large amounts of expensive inventory, one has to
keep abreast of the new and desirable titles that you think everybody
wants. Well, after weeks and weeks of buying cd's and not selling
them, the lack of funds begin to become apparent in the form of
flubber checks and denied shipments. And none of this new. This has
been going on the whole time here, it's just that we were able to pull
through unscathed. Not this time I'm afraid.

Last year, I (Andrew k Dudek), the sole owner and employee of
gate.city.noise, made a grand total of $6400.00 . That's right, I made
absolutely nothing. That barely covers the mortgage on my house. I'm
not lying about this. So how do I survive then? Simple, I sacrifice
everything I have and do for the better of the store as I should, it's
mine. But I purposely did not take paychecks because it was more
important to have this store stocked with new titles then it was for
Andrew to have health or car insurance or even take his girlfriend out
to dinner .

The debt is in the thousands which isn't so astonishing if you think
about it. One shipment from one distributor could cost $2000 dollars
and that doesn't include restocking title. And all businesses owe,
that's no secret. But the debt I'm talking about is such that the lack
of business and interest, leave me to worry and stress about not
finding a way out. I am seriously considering selling the store and
finding some new line of work that brings in an honest paycheck. I
have seriously considered not selling skateboards, cutting my cd stock
in half and focusing on making this more of a venue that brings in
slightly larger bands. I have considered many many different things
all at once, and I am tired.

So the next few weeks I am probably not going to have the newest
albums you're looking for, because i simply do not have the money to
make any orders. Aside from ebaying some posters and old skateboards,
I can only hope that sales will pick up and carry the store to a safer
place.

My reasons for writing this aren't to lay guilt on people or to look
for hand outs. I'm not looking for anything like that. I'm just trying
to tell everyone like it is. I do this store because I too want to
live in a town that at least HAS a cool record store. Is Greensboro
capable of sustaining such a store? Do people not like what
gate.city.noise does? I'm I doing something wrong? Has president
Bush's stupid stupid campaign really made this country's economy so
bad that even its young financially aided student is too broke to buy
cd's? Has the internet and downloading and overall suck bands caused
this much damage? These are questions I ask myself daily. I don't have
the answers. I know this is a bummer email, but it's better to hear it
now instead of seeing taped up windows in two months. If any of the
1000 people on this email list have questions for me or suggestions or
criticisms, you are more that welcome to call or email me. Please just
ponder what it is I've said and think about the question that have I
asked.

What does gate.city.noise mean to you?


oh yeah...

saturday. feb. 28th
subtract by two
instrumental ambient keyboarding with random yet poignant visuals
a drop in silence
excellent laptop electronic music not to unlike aphex twin, biosphere
and autechre
8:00 pm free


gate.city.noise
401 tate st.
greensboro , n.c. 27403
336.272.7883
336.272.5994 fax
gatecitynoise AT mindspring.com
www.gatecitynoise.com



  • Update from Gate City Noise (More Bad New for Local Independent Retail), Glenn Boothe, 02/28/2004

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page