“For me theatres, book stores and music stores were a type of temple and were a type of community. ”
In 2018, Regina Spektor was interviewed about Other Music, a record store in New York that helped launch her career. The store, despite being enormously important in so many peoples’ lives and careers, closed its doors in June 2016 unable to compete in an increasingly digital world. In her interview she said, “More than ever people being together is very, very important. For me theatres, bookstores and music stores were a type of temple and were a type of community. We’re swinging away from tangible places where we meet and do things together. Maybe we’ll swing, not all the way back, but maybe there’s a way for the digital and the streaming and the loving of music to swing back to a place where we can still have these temples.”
Her words stood out in the documentary, of course they would, they seem prophetic in a time where our only communication with our communities is digital and we long to visit those special places that make us feel like we’re part of something.
There’s no doubt that the world we re-enter after lockdown will be a different one - many shops, restaurants and bars were already on a knife’s edge prior to the COVID crisis and simply won’t make it through this. We do hope however, that some good will come of this. We hope that there’ll be a deeper appreciation of real-life conversations and for places that are filled with care and passion for what they sell. And we really hope that everyone will be grateful for those businesses that care where their products come from and who makes them.
Mary Portas, retail guru and fierce protector of independent retail, said in a FT opinion piece “Average is over. Mediocrity is out the window, together with our summer travel plans. The bland, the dull, the middle-of-the-road merchandise - forget it. The retail businesses that will survive, the ones that will come out with a deeper connection with their followers (note I didn’t say consumers: the days of rabid consumerism are over); are those with hard-earned brand equity. They know being good enough was never good enough.” She may be speaking about the UK retail environment but there’s no doubt we’ll see the same thing here.
At 44 Stanley, we’re working hard to be exceptional, to be that place that has swung back a little and become a temple of sorts. As a small business in exceptionally tough times, this is really hard.
If you are reading this, you’re probably a follower. If you’re not yet a follower, we hope you become one. Please don’t underestimate your role in all of this.
It’s our followers that will get us through this - we thank you in advance.
Note:
The Other Music Documentary is available to purchase here and all funds raised will go to independent record stores including our very own, Mr Vinyl.