Goodbye, Steve

They say that the only constant in life is change (wise words, Buddha), and I am getting a serious dose of change this month.

Steve's Music Store shut down its last store in Canada at the beginning of July, and decided to move all sales to its online page. I did not think that it would hit me so personally to learn of its closing, but it feels like I have lost another friend from my youth (see my piece on Cheapies). And the fact that the last bricks and mortar store is in my adopted hometown of Montréal adds to the pain. I should probably be more concerned about where I'm going to get my guitar strings from now on, but there is something deeper going on here.

Let me quote the following from the news:

In February, the store announced plans to downsize and close multiple locations across Canada — including major locations in Toronto and Ottawa — citing a “significant disruption across the sector” and a shift to focus on its online marketplace. Still, the Montreal-based chain held onto its flagship location.

“After decades of laughter, late-night conversations, and the hum of instruments being tried for the very first time, Steve’s Music Store will be closing its doors,” reads a statement on the store’s website.

“Unfortunately, due to several factors, including the post-Covid world and the changing economy, we made the difficult decision to close and restructure the business.”

Billboard

I can understand all of this... I can sympathize with the owner's wish to keep the business in the black. But there is going to be something deeply missed if this is not just one loss but part of a larger chain of events.

I still have my guitars, both electric and acoustic; both Fenders. And I still wonder what I am doing with them. I was more of a player back as a teenager with not much of a social life, a very odd set of albums of musical choices, and the overwhelming desire to play what I heard when I put on the headphones and could escape from the world around me. And Steve's was right there for me.

It wasn't the only one. I bought my first amplifier at a music shop in my hometown; others supplied me with guitar strings closer to home. I had no reason to really travel to Toronto, unless it was a day spent on Queen Street, or another concert/festival/special event that I really wanted to attend. But I knew of its reputation, and I wanted to see what they could do for me when I had a bit of a more technical problem with my Stratocaster. To be fair, they were offering free tuneups at Steve's, something I had never seen at any local store, and I had never stepped inside one of their chains.

And that was a true revelation.

The store was crowded with guitarists who practiced, compared prices and licks, and put me to shame, even as a teenager (I should have been kinder to myself). I just wanted to get out of there...but I stayed. The staff kept me from feeling as if I were invading a private space. My Strat got a makeover, with new strings and cleaned up electronics. I got some new strings (they added them with no extra charge for the labour), and I discovered that there was one spot in Toronto beyond the record and bookstores I loved that was worth a visit...

...And now, that is all over.

Thank you Steve and company. We never thought you'd leave, but we knew you were always worth a visit.

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