(Daily Camera (Boulder, CO) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Sep. 28--After 16 years of vending vinyl and its compact disc counterparts, Bart Stinchcomb decided it was time for him to turn the page. Four weeks ago, the co-owner of Bart's CD Cellar inked a deal for the Pearl Street record shop to be bought by Marietta, Ga.
-based Value Music Concepts Inc. for an undisclosed sum. It marked the sixth such acquisition of an independent music store by Value Music Concepts -- which also owns 61 music stores under brands such as Music for a Song, Sound Shop and Music for Less -- said Rob Perkins, president and co-founder of the 13-year-old company.
The move to sell primarily was a life change decision, said Stinchcomb, who owned the store with his wife, Christina. And that decision wasn't easy. Stinchcomb said he spent nights mulling it over since Value Music Concepts started courting the shop back in March.
We thought about it, sat on it and made a decision that it would be best for everybody, he said. The opportunity presented itself and we chose to go with it. The majority of Bart's 18 employees stayed on while a couple opted to leave, said Stinchcomb, who has a consulting role with the business.
Since the sale, Stinchcomb said he's gotten a few rubbings from residents for selling to 'the man,' but, he added, the sale should not induce any feelings of doom and gloom. Perkins and the other three Value Music Concepts founders have a strong love for music and run a good business, Stinchcomb said. It seems to me that, if anything, they're going to increase the selection and continue to give Boulder an independent record store, he said.
Value Music Concepts expects to increase Bart's music selection by 30 percent, Perkins said. The company already has installed new shelving to accommodate the new products. The racks also will hold the used CDs being moved from the next-door shop, which is being converted to Bart's Movie Cellar, a retailer of used and new DVDs.
The goal is to not change or homogenize Bart's, Perkins said, but to enhance its offerings. You've got four individuals who have had a degree of success in the most difficult retail sector, Perkins said. Our passion for music and our passion for unparalleled customer service, those are the same values Bart had.
Sporting a Doors shirt and tapping away at a laptop on a Pearl Street bench, A.J. Hoelter said Bart's collection of vinyl records made him a loyal customer during the past five years.
The 21-year-old disc-jockey said the ownership change won't affect his patronage. Just as long as they're still selling used and new vinyl, Hoelter said. The sale leaves Albums on the Hill as the city's only independent record shop.
Andy Schneidkraut, current owner of the more than 30-year-old store, said he is happy for Stinchcomb but is sorry another independent sold. Increasing conglomeration only adds to the struggles of an independent music store in an industry trending toward more digital offerings, Schneidkraut said. To combat the changes and stay successful, Schneidkraut and his store diversified -- adding an art gallery and an entertainment-focused restaurant.
You've got to rethink it, how do you dispense your love of music to people? he said. Bart's acquisition might actually help Albums' business, he said.
The independent nature of the Boulder community is such, they will recognize, they support the hometown folks, he said. The quality of a business like McGuckin or a business like the Boulder Book Store, those are qualities I can only hope to emulate. But you know, people recognize that.
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