ear X-tacy, the legendary independent record store that served Louisville for 26 years, has gone to that big music festival in the sky. ear X-tacy manager Rebecca Mercer told Kentucky’s WAVE NBC channel that the tough decision to close the store had been in the works for the past several months, but that it had been finalized late last Friday night. Business for the indie stalwart had been on decline for quite some time, and the store had been forced to find cheaper digs. ear X-Tacy’s former home is now a Panera.
“It makes you feel like I’ve lost a friend, not just a place, but sort of a friend,” customer Cory Fusting told WAVE. Kentuckian Jim James of My Morning Jacket posted a eulogy of sorts on the store’s website, saying:
there is a tear in my eye right now as i hear about the closing of one of my favorite places on earth- ear-xtacy… .i send thanks and healing vibes to [owner John D. Timmins] and everyone who has worked so hard at the store over the years…the presence of that sacred place will be sorely missed. people- let this be a big wake up call to us…we need these places to gather as a community and share ideas about music and art and love and life and…. for the love of god…. it cant all take place online…or i fear that one day we will all wake up bleary-eyed and hung over from our technology binge and find the real world long gone.
Owner John D. Timmins posted his own thank-you/goodbye note on the store’s website, saying:
Please keep the music alive. Support the incredible music scene and independent businesses we have here! Until you leave this great city, you cannot realize what a unique treasure we have here. Embrace it, celebrate it, and promote it. Love it.
Thank you all for making my dreams come true. Thank you for making ear X-tacy the wonderful place that it was. I thank all of the staff that made this store THE hub for music in Louisville for the past 26 years. Please take pride in knowing that YOU have been the heart and soul of what this store became. Thank you for sharing my dream and exceeding all of my expectations! To all of the musicians who have graced our store and stage, I cannot tell you what a thrill it’s been. From the local newbies to the incredibly huge national artists…THANK YOU for gracing our store and sharing you incredible musical talents with us all…that’s what I like to call: ‘earX-tacy.’
Wise words, people. Record stores are like cathedrals…big internet retailers are like—come on—big internet retailers. Where’s the soul in all that? In the case of ear X-tacy, it’s drifting up to the heavens where Atlanta’s Criminal and Long Beach, CA’s VIP are now RIPing. Be a good citizen—support your indie neighbors.
• ear X-tacy: http://www.earx-tacy.com
